


Sail The Wildest Stretch

by TheReversalOfSam



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga), Death Note (Live Action TV), Death Note (Movies), Death Note: Another Note, Death Note: The Musical - Wildhorn/Murphy
Genre: Alive L (Death Note), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eventual L/Yagami Light, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/F, F/M, Final destination - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst, Light tries to fix everything the world makes it hard for him the story, M/M, Post-Death Note: Another Note, Second Chances, Slight Light Yagami/Yamamoto, What Happens After a Death Note User Dies, and junjou romantica, it'll make sense eventually i swear, light is kira, lots of sekai ichi hatsukoi references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-01-21 19:30:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 53,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12464370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheReversalOfSam/pseuds/TheReversalOfSam
Summary: Light Yagami has a Final Destination-esque vision of his seven years as Kira. He wakes up in his high school on the day he receives the Death Note. What will he do differently, knowing the future? LxLight. Lawlight.





	1. Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, thanks for giving my work a try. I have been wanting to write a DN fic for ages now but couldn't settle on an idea until this. I hope you enjoy it! The first few chapters will contain some direct quotes from the viz media english translated version of the manga. No need to fear though, things change up soon enough that direct quoting becomes impossible.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light has a Nightmare.

Chapter One: Nightmare

\- - -

((Edit: Beyond no longer dies. Grammar+spelling checked. Improved version~))

\- - -

果実が告げた未来   
理性を忘れた街   
黒く歪んだ現在を   
夢、理想に変え る

\- Nightmare, _the WORLD_

\- - -

Light was dying. He knew it. Felt it in the blood gushing from the wound in his side. Tasted it in the iron fear on his lips. Saw it in the way Ryuk carved out Light’s name in his Death Note. Where did he go wrong? How could God have failed? (And why  _Matsuda_ , of all people, to be the one to take him down?)

In his last moments, crying and pleading and writhing for his life, a haloed figure in a white shirt and blue jeans reached out for Light.

…

Light woke up and screamed. He screamed his voice raw and only stopped when he recognised the voices and hands clawing at him weren’t his pursuers but his classmates. His English classmates who were all looking at him like he’d gone insane. With his splitting headache and awful sense of déjà vu Light could hardly have agreed more.

Grounding himself in simple facts, like his location (school; school, not a warehouse, abandoned,  _dying_ ), Light steadied his frantic breathing. He forced a smile onto his face, one which said  _well isn’t this funny_ , and addressed his classmates and teacher.

“I dozed off. It was just a nightmare,” Light deflected.

The shallow concerns of the people around him dissipated into conspiratorial gossip, and Light knew he’d be hearing about this incident again and again. He’d speculate it would make excellent fodder for Sudou and the other idiots who bullied kids at his school, but Light had scared them off last year.

Through sheer force of will, Light composed himself enough to sit back in his chair like a normal person, and not someone whose heart was still racing a million miles an hour. Not someone who still felt the ghost of a bullet in his flank, the pain of betrayal, the sting of defeat…the weight of the knowledge that he had killed hundreds of thousands of people.

**Kira**.

Light was Kira, in his dream. A name which had meant so much in the saga of a nightmare, but nothing to him now. A serial killer, that’s what he was. A God, of a world he had single-handedly composed into a symphony of justice in his name.  **Kira**.

The class went back to discussing poetry, but Light was too busy gently examining the place in his side where the bullet had been ( _would be?_ ). Matsuda, the cute idiot his father had been partnered with, had shot him. What a weird way for such an elaborate nightmare to end. Light tried to shake off the sinking feeling he had, like it wasn’t some silly dream, like it was something more, but the feeling stayed with him all class. It just wasn’t like him to dream much at all, let alone a seven year marathon of a nightmare in which he became God.

And killed L.

L. The world’s greatest (three!) detectives. Light wondered if that were true; if his sleeping mind had deduced something about L, Eraldo Coil and Denevue, that no-one else ever had before. Regardless, L was an enigma, even in his nightmare. He had known Light was Kira, had chased Light no matter where or how he ran, and when confronted, had been willing to die to stop Kira. And he had, died that is.

Light couldn’t unsee the world’s greatest detective’s lifeless body, limp in Light’s arms. Couldn’t shake the way L had looked at him in his dying moments. The way L had known it was Light that killed him. And Light felt nauseous remembering the exhilaration of victory that had thrilled through him at that time.

What a monster he had become.

The dream had started innocently enough, with a notebook and some good intentions, but it was swiftly spiralled far out of control. Light’s first mistake had been killing the FBI agents. He’d crossed a line there, one that delineated him from a common criminal. He had been redeemable in his own eyes until that time, even if he was feeling ill at the thought of killing anyone, even a criminal. He had definitely crossed a line in L’s eyes. Kira was truly a childish, selfish monster.  _Actually_ , Light thought hard about the dream, both willing it to go away and trying desperately to not let the details slip away like sand through his fingers, not until he understood at least. Why he dreamt this nightmare.

Actually, his first mistake had been killing Lind L. Tailor. Then the FBI agents.  **Then**  Naomi Misora. (So many mistakes.) Tailor wasn’t innocent but he had represented an innocent man, and the others were certainly innocent. Kira felt justified, as it was for Justice, but Light couldn’t stomach it. It hardly made sense. He could easily have avoided killing any of them, but he’d chosen to relish in their deaths instead.

His second mistake wasn’t even something he could have controlled. Misa Amane. The girl’s obsession with him had been his ultimate undoing. She had been solely responsible for the unravelling of every plan he concocted. She had threatened his life to be his girlfriend. He had been coerced into an (eventually) sexual relationship with an older woman, who would kill him as soon as obsess over him. At times in the dream she had seemed pleasant enough, but Light felt she was the biggest danger he had faced. Far worse than L (whom Light was trying to think around rather than about, because it made his heart and stomach do funny things), and light years worse than L’s successors.

If Light’s dream were real, L’s successors would still be in primary school right now. How quaint.

Light scoffed at himself and forced himself to stop fingering the non-existent bullet hole, forced himself to stop analysing his weird nightmare, and forced himself to look out the window at the sky to clear his head.

As it turned out, it had the opposite effect. Light saw a thin black notebook fall from the sky and land, conveniently, beneath his classroom window.  _Impossible_ , he thought.

As soon as the bell let him out, Light scooped up his bag and darted from the room. He had one destination in mind. Light all but shouldered his fellow students out of his way in his haste. He earned himself some annoyed looks, but his aloof reputation saved him any retributions.

Finally he skidded to a halt in the grass beneath his English classroom window. Grass was a luxury in Tokyo, a luxury at his school. It cradled a slim black book, presenting it softly to Light. Light bent over and picked up the notebook.

**Death Note** , the spindly white writing on the cover read. Just like in his dream. Just like he had seen.

Was it his future he had dreamt? Had his destiny presented itself to him? Or was it a warning?

Was Light really Kira? A murderer?

A sudden wave of nausea saw Light dash for the nearest garbage bin. He emptied his stomach, but couldn’t empty the screaming pain of contradiction from his mind. Light wasn’t a killer! He could never do those things he’d seen in his nightmare!

It was true this world was rotten. It needed someone strong and brave and pure and willing to sacrifice, to do whatever was necessary, in order to clean it up. Light had been ( _would be?_ ) the only one who could do it.

…At least, that was what the nightmare version of him had thought.

Light slumped to the ground beside the bin, aware he was making a scene, and for once not giving a damn. His world was pulling apart at the seams and he couldn’t seem to piece it back together.

The Death Note. The cause of all of this. He was still holding it. His fingers locked around its dark spine like it would kill him to let go. Maybe it would kill him to hold on.

_No, get a hold of yourself_ , he thought firmly. He didn’t have any proof the Death Note was real. His nightmare was…unsettling, but it didn’t prove the veracity of a notebook that could kill whoever you wrote into it.

Light paled even more when he realised he would have to test it. Not only because he was curious, not only because he was so endlessly bored, but because it had happened a certain way the first time around, in his nightmare, and if he wanted to prove the Death Note to be the fake he wanted it to be, he would also have to disprove his nightmare.

He could see clearly the name and face of the man he had first killed with the Note. He would appear on the news later this afternoon, holding children hostage. The man was scum. If Light killed him again (assuming the Death Note and the nightmare were real, which they  _weren’t_ ) then the world would be no worse off.

It was the only way to be sure. Light could not know who this man was ahead of time, so even his existence and his criminal actions would be proof. But Light wanted to be beyond sure. This was…so unreal.

Light dragged himself up off the ground, brushed the dirt from his uniform, and straightened himself out. He was still ruffled, an imperfect version of his normally perfect self, and this disturbed him almost to the same degree as his nightmare and this Note had. The fact that he could hardly bring himself to care about his appearance - he still managed to, but barely - showed him how shaken he was, if the vomiting hadn’t already done so.

Whatever happened next would change his world forever.

\- - -

Light had walked home in a daze. He hardly registered other humans, his mind a carefully constructed blank. He collapsed on his bed as soon as he returned home, face first into his pillow. He wanted to scream his lungs out, but his throat hurt from doing that earlier in class, so he refrained. What the hell was happening to him?

Light knew he did not have long for his respite (he refused to call it sulking), as Kurō Otoharada would soon be on the news. Hating everything about it, Light crawled out of bed to his desk and flipped on the television to News 6. Far sooner than he ever wanted it to, the news arrived.

“The man who indiscriminately killed and wounded six people yesterday in Shinjuku is still barracked inside this nursery school, with eight hostages, including little children. The metropolitan police have determined the man’s identity. He is Kurō Otoharada, 42 years old and unemployed. Two days ago, Otoharada…”

Light glared at the television, as if it were its fault for telling him the news. It couldn’t be worse; this man was real, a criminal doing exactly what Light had dreamed he would. Either Light had some newfound ESP for criminals or his nightmare was 100% genuine, real, bone fide destiny.

…It was 18:22 on a school night. If Light wrote this man’s name, it would never again be just 18:22 on a school night. His life would cease to be boring. He would be Kira, a God of Justice, and he would meet L, a man he had idolised for years. He didn’t like where his story ended, however, and he didn’t like a lot of the middle. Like killing L. But how to avoid that? If Light killed Otoharada then L would know Light was in Japan. It was both insanely stupid to bring L onto Light’s tail and all Light wanted. Life was boring after he had killed L, in his nightmare. Life was only exciting with him. Light frowned heavily.  _Guess you’re coming to Japan…_

It was 18:23. He wrote Kurō Otoharada into the Death Note and waited for his destiny to catch up to him.

Forty seconds passed. Nothing. Light knew he had a little longer to wait. In an instant, the hostages streamed out of the nursery. They were free. Light had never felt more trapped.

The Death Note was real. His  _nightmare_  was real. His life was no longer only his own. He belonged to Kira now, to a destiny that had carved itself out in his mind long before he’d known it was his.

Light struggled to win back control over his emotions. He was crying, he noted distantly, and in two minutes he’d have to put on his game face and go to prep school. He wiped frantically at his eyes, staining his white sleeves.  _Today can’t be real_ , he repeated to himself.  _Things like this just don’t happen._

But it was happening. And if he didn’t get a hold on himself, the situation would slip uncontrollably out of his grasp. Light knew he couldn’t slip this time. He might be Kira, but he wouldn’t follow his path. Light would make his own path; he’d do it right this time.

Light’s mother called upstairs to him, “It’s 6:25 already. You have your prep course today.”

Light flinched. He scrambled up from his desk and ducked his head out his bedroom door. “Uh, yeah. I was just getting ready to go.” He smiled, the action somewhat convincing, but it wasn’t needed because his mother didn’t even notice his drying tears.

Later at the Gamou Prep Academy, Light watched Sudou bully a bespectacled nerd and had an intense feeling of déjà vu. He was sitting down but he felt vertigo, and he had to regulate his breathing for a few minutes. His teacher threw chalk at his head to get him to ‘stop spacing out’ and Light nearly snapped at him. He had no idea what Light was going through right now; it was so much more than the stupid teen angst his peers were experiencing. However, Light swallowed his anger. Things were complicated right now and he didn’t need to make them worse by shattering everyone’s image of him as perfect. Snapping his prep teacher’s neck would probably do that.

Light paid no attention in prep (although it wasn’t as if he paid any more attention normally). He spent the time ruminating on his newfound powers. Not only had he found the Death Note (which Ryuk had dropped out of boredom so it wasn’t exactly like Light was chosen but), he had seen the future. Over six years worth of premonitions in one high school class’ worth of daydreams. There had to be something more to that, something that hinted at destiny.

So, the question remained, he had seen the future so he could change it, obviously, but change it how? Was he to turn away from Kira entirely, place down the Death Note and forget this had ever happened? (Not likely.) Was he supposed to be more aggressive in his role as Kira this time, and eliminate all obstacles early in the game thereby preventing anyone from defeating him? (Possible. It seemed like the thing the nightmare version of himself would have wanted.) Or was he here to improve the story? Ensure he was never bored again? Not by destroying his opponents but by converting them.

L.

The only light in Light’s life. He had flashed colour into Light’s dull world. Whenever L came into the room, it was like the sun came out. It sounded stupid and fluffy and…romantic. But Light couldn’t shake his memories of the Detective. He took up far less time in Light’s prophesies than Misa or Takada or, heck, even Matsuda, but Light’s visions of L were the strongest by far. There was something about the spindly, strange man. Perhaps it had been his mind, bright and brilliant and cutting to the heart of Light, tearing off his masks and breaking down his walls. Perhaps it had been his weird, ethereal beauty as he curled in his computer chair or stood in the rain, face tilted up into the downpour.

Perhaps it was simply that Light had never felt the way he did with L before or since.

_Surely_ , Light reasoned,  _I can convince him to join me. He was always saying how similar to Kira his own philosophies were. As long as I only kill truly evil criminals, L will be able to see my side._

His plan unfurling before him, Light smiled for real for the first time since he’d woken up from his nightmare. Yes, if L was his, then the world would truly be his. L’s successors would never have a reason to come after Light, and so Matsuda would never shoot him, and he would avoid that horrible end.

There was one problem with Light’s new plan. Misa Amane. She would royally fuck up everything when she came along. He could avoid killing her parents’ murderer, therefore maybe avoiding her obsession with him. But Rem would still give her the Death Note and Light couldn’t trust Misa to not become the Second Kira of her own accord anyway. And then she would have no reason not to kill Light immediately. He remembered her threats clearly. Even though she seemed under his control after Rem and L had died, Light knew better than to trust her. She was unstable. Who wouldn’t be after witnessing her parents’ murder and then nearly dying at the hands of a stalker herself? Still, what to do with Misa Amane? Her parents were already dead by now, so Light couldn’t prevent that. He could kill Misa now, ahead of her stalker, and since it would be through the Death Note, not even her Shinigami lovers could save her. But they could potentially find Light and enact revenge. Light would have to make himself known as Kira in order to affect change in the world, and Ryuk would be like a beacon at his side regardless, so it was nearly certain that Gelus or even Rem would kill Light in revenge for Misa. It would only be a matter of time. He couldn’t very well reign as God with L if he had Shinigami after his blood.

He could kill Misa’s stalker ahead of time, but he had no idea of knowing how that would affect the timeline. Maybe Gelus would see fit to come investigate Misa’s miracle himself, maybe even give her his Death Note. He seemed in love with her enough to do so. Maybe even Rem would find a way to do it. She wasn’t in love with Misa yet, although Gelus was, so Light had a short window in which to deal with Misa before the problem was out of his control. It seemed like killing her stalker was the safest bet. Misa would still be alive and therefore a potential problem, but if Gelus never died for her, Rem might never become interested in her, and she certainly wouldn’t have a spare Death Note to give Misa. While Gelus or Rem could sacrifice their own Death Note to give to Misa, Light felt it was unlikely. All things considered, this was his safest bet.

\- - -

The Death Note weighed heavily in Light’s shoulder bag as he walked home from prep school. He witnessed the unwitting cruelty of all kinds of people around him. Callous words and actions, such stupidity, and sometimes even deliberate evil. As he remembered, a bikie gang pulled up alongside a young woman outside a convenience store. She was afraid for her safety, for either the sanctity of her body or her life or both, and the men were revelling in their power over her. Light squared his shoulders and marched by into the convenience store. Takuo Shibuimaru. Light remembered him. Shibutaku, he called himself. Such a silly name. Light pulled the Death Note from his bag and opened it, considering his options. Shibutaku did not deserve death. He was being an asshole, sure, but as far as Light remembered he had never committed a serious crime. Shoplifting was the worst offence on his record, as well as some traffic violations. Light had researched him long after the fact of killing him. He remembered convincing himself the man’s death was justified. But now, looking out at the idiot trying to impress the young woman, he only felt hollow pity. He knew the Death Note worked, so there was no need to test it against this man. This man, with his little life and little existence, had nothing better to do than toot around on his bike and harass innocent women. How pathetic. But not worth the death penalty, surely.

Light put the Death Note away.

“Hey girlie-!” Shibutaku was crooning.

“Darling,” Light cut in, slinging an arm around the young woman’s shoulders. She startled, looking at him with wide eyes. But she didn’t give him away, not yet. Light smiled warmly at her. “You were meant to meet me inside the store remember? Not out here in the cold. Silly~” He squeezed his arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

She caught on fast, thankfully. “Oh, o-oh, yes, sorry,” she laughed awkwardly. “I got distracted…” She looked nervously at the bikie gang who were mostly looking some combination of confused and bored at this point.

“Not a worry,” Light beamed, hoping the sheer force of his blinding smiles would win him this battle. He was uncomfortable confronting this situation directly, but he couldn’t well let her suffer in fear, and he couldn’t let Shibutaku escalate this to a point that Light would feel justified in using the Death Note. Light was playing off-script now, testing out the waters of his new reality. “Let’s head inside then, hm?”

“A-ah, yes, yes,” the woman agreed readily. She clung to Light’s side, recognising him as her way out of this mess.

Light turned them and starting walking them back to the relative safety of the convenience store. Shibutaku, who was in shock up until this point, finally spoke up. “Hey you, pretty boy! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

The woman froze against Light’s side, but Light turned around to face Shibutaku with a disarming smile. “I’m out with my girlfriend.”

Shibutaku frowned heavily. “She’s alone,” he argued.

“Not anymore,” Light explained patiently. “She was just waiting for me. We’re going grocery shopping then she’s going to cook me a special dinner. I just got accepted into the NPA. We’re celebrating.”

He nudged the woman subtly and she startled but turned around and agreed vehemently with Light’s statement. “Oh yes! My Ri-chan got accepted with flying colours! We’re so proud!” Her voice broke at the end, but all in all, a convincing performance. Light would applaud her if he could.

“Ri-chan…” Shibutaku echoed, still lost.

“Yes,” Light agreed and stepped forward, leaving the woman behind him, shielded by his body. He grabbed Shibutaku’s hand from the bike handle and shook it firmly but friendly. “Ritsu Onodera, pleased to meet you.”

“Takuo Shibuimaru, pleased to meet you,” Shibutaku answered dumbly. “Uh, sorry, bro. Didn’t know she was your lady.”

“Not a worry.” Light offered up another carefree smile. “She’s very pretty. I understand.”

“Yeah, uh, you shouldn’t let her walk around alone, it’s uh dangerous,” Shibutaku advised awkwardly.

Light smiled one last time, and went back to his ‘girlfriend’. They entered the convenience store together and watched as Shibutaku and his gang argued amongst themselves for a few minutes before speeding away. She slumped against the magazine shelf and laughed nervously, covering her mouth with her hands.

Light stood by awkwardly, hands in his pockets, while he waited to make sure she was okay. She straightened up soon enough and offered Light a weak smile. “Thank you,” she said with heart aching sincerity. “You saved me.”

Now Light felt awful. He couldn’t pinpoint why but his stomach had dropped to the ground. “No…problem,” he managed.

“I’m Yuzuko Adani,” she told Light freely, like names had no power, “and thank you, really. I was so scared.”

“I understand,” Light said quietly. “So was I.”

She looked at him softly, like she understood too. Light felt the pressure building in his head, and knew he wasn’t going to last much longer before he collapsed.

“It was nice meeting you…” Yuzuko prompted.

“Yagami,” Light answered, surprised at the truth. “Light Yagami.”

“What a beautiful name,” Yuzuko said softly. “Maybe we’ll meet again, under better circumstances.”

“I’d like that,” Light agreed quietly. “Goodbye, Adani-san.”

“Goodbye, Yagami-san.”

Yuzuko waved at him as she left the store. He watched her walk down the block and cross the road to enter the train station. She was around plenty of other people. She’d probably be okay. But Light was still worried. He couldn’t say why.

\- - -

By the time Light stumbled home, he was a nervous wreck. His hands trembled, his knees were weak, and he’d thrown up for the second time today. He was grateful his mother and sister were already in bed, and his father wasn’t home yet, so Light was able to slink to his room and curl up in the dark cave beneath his sheets. He hid in the cocoon he made for himself, fully clothed down to his shoes, bag (and Death Note) resting on his desk across from him. He peered out from his blanket fort at his bag, sitting so inconspicuously.

Light couldn’t stop shaking.

He had seen everything the nightmare version of himself had done as if it were Light himself who had done it. His psyche was separated from it by the sensation that it was a dream; a vivid 4D nightmare, but unreal nonetheless. It gave him some kind of fortitude, a semblance of a barrier against emotionally dealing with the many thousands of deaths he had caused. That he had decided he would, for the most part, cause again. He was the only one who could save the world, but could he take it? His psychological strength was only so much, and he’d seen in his nightmare the insanity that had overwhelmed his nightmare self after a time. Killing L had been the final nail in the coffin of Light Yagami; nothing but Kira had been left after that. Kira’s life, six years worth of memories, bounced around in Light’s brain, fighting for dominance. Not only did Light have to cope with the fact that he’d taken a human life today (the man had deserved it, but it was still murder), but he had to fight to keep straight what was real and what was nightmare. Who he was and who Kira had been.

Light did not sleep that night.

\- - -

Light skipped breakfast the following morning, hyper aware of the fact it would only come right back up. He walked to school, robot-like, going through the motions of his perfect life. It was mathematics class, near the end of the school day, by the time Light had fortified his will sufficiently so as to pick himself up from his slump. Half his class was surreptitiously napping, but he looked up at the equations on the blackboard with renewed vigour. Something had fallen into place within Light, some acceptance of his new life.

Light breezed through maths like it was going out of style, and even managed a conversation about the weather with his ‘friends’. He managed to eat a late lunch, and there was a skip in his step on his way home. No prep school this afternoon, so he could get straight to the business of fixing the world. He wondered mildly how long it would take L to find him this time. Since he was fairly certain he’d manage to recreate his early killing pattern accurately, he expected it would be soon. He could hardly wait!

Light greeted his mother and sister with a genuine smile and a hug. He snagged a bag of potato chips from the kitchen and headed up to his room. He set everything up on his desk, locked his door, and sat down to start writing.

He started with the names and faces he could remember, then switched on the news and the internet and went from there. He made it through 19 names before a sudden wave of nausea took him and he made a frantic grab for his waste bin. Out came his late lunch and his potato chips, and more of his stomach acid and lining than Light was comfortable with. He retched for nearly ten minutes after the fact, hugging the bin to himself as he curled up on the floor. When the convulsions passed, Light clawed his way back onto his chair. It rolled sickeningly beneath him so he stayed only long enough to take the Death Note and a pen back down to the floor with him.

He spent the rest of the night like that, curled on the floor, alternating between writing names and crying, writing names and heaving, writing names and hyperventilating…

It was his second night without sleep.

\- - -

Light spent the next three days in the same pattern. He wrote names whenever he was capable, tried hard not to think about what he was doing, attended school, played the role of perfect son and student, and ate about one day’s worth of food all up. He caught about four hours total of sleep in between restless turning and horrific dreams. These were thankfully nothing like his nightmare, in that they were surreal and obviously conjured by his pained mind as it tried to cope with its additional set of memories and growing gnawing guilt. Light felt one devastating vision of his future was more than enough, thank you.

By the fifth day of owning the Death Note, day five post-nightmare, Light had successfully killed every major dictator, serial killer, crime lord and vicious criminal he could find. He had hesitated when it came to signing Beyond Birthday into the Note. The initial B in his name still sat unfinished in its line. Originally, Light had killed him on day four of owing the Note. His nightmare self had later figured that this was one of the things that had attracted L to the case. L, for all that Beyond had done to him, must have still cared for the psychopath. This time around, instead of carelessly writing out Beyond’s name as one of many, Light sighed and left his space blank. Beyond was in prison, unlikely to be hurting anyone anytime soon, so Light would wait to ask L what he wanted to do.

Half of the world’s countries were in political turmoil as Light had eliminated their evil leadership. Light spent at least half of his waking hours wondering if L was onto him yet, and the other half convincing himself not to leave L any deliberate hints. So Light was inpatient, but he was also optimistic.  _Things are already better this time_ , he reminded himself at regularly scheduled intervals. He’d saved Yuzuko without spilling anyone’s blood. L had never figured out that Light had killed Shibutaku in his nightmare, but Light half hoped he would get the chance to tell L all about his improved decision making this time around.

Light’s only other concern (apart from trying to not slowly starve to death; he’d lost 4 kilograms in as many days, and it wasn’t like he had body mass to spare to begin with) was how he would approach his first meeting with Ryuk. He knew the Shinigami had been watching him, knew today would be their meeting. Would he know about Light’s nightmare? How could he?

Light had eventually decided to keep his nightmare to himself. The less the others knew the more control Light would have.

On the fifth day of walking Kira’s path, Light’s ‘friends’ dropped him home from school. His mother greeted him at the door, only wanting to see his test scores. Ranked first nationwide, naturally. Light told her he would be studying and slipped up to his room. She offered to get him something, anything he wanted, but Light politely turned her down. His new life, so free of boredom, was all he had ever wanted.

Light set up his television and computer, his usual for Death Note writing, and had just pulled out the Note when, as in his memories, Ryuk’s cackling laughter started up behind him. Light flinched, even though he was prepared, and turned as Ryuk said, “You seem to like it.”

Light let out a gasp of a scream, choked off, but sufficiently convincing. Ryuk looked exactly as he did in Light’s nightmare. Exactly as he did when he killed him. If Light needed any more proof that he had indeed seen the future, this was it.

Light fell to the floor, doing his best to look surprised and a little scared, and not like he’d seen Ryuk a million times before.

“Why’re you so surprised to see me? I’m Ryuk, the Shinigami who dropped that Notebook.” Ryuk loomed over Light, his clownish grin and unlidded eyes, his unnaturally long body, and dark feathered shoulders, all the same as Light remembered. “The way you were acting just now, I can tell you know it isn’t just any old notebook… right?”

“A…Shinigami?!” Light gasped. He screwed his eyes shut, then opened them to stare at Ryuk with determination. He stood, murmuring, “A God of Death…I’m not surprised to see you, Ryuk.” Well, that at least was true.

Ryuk was surprised that Light wasn’t surprised.

“In fact,” Light continued, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Really,” Ryuk twitched.

“Gee,” Light smirked, “a personal visit from a Shinigami…Very kind of you. Not that I doubted this was a ‘Death God’s Notebook’ but…seeing things with my own eyes like this lets me act with greater certainty.” Again, it was true. Light found it funny how easy it was to pretend like nothing was different this time around. “Plus there’re some things I wanted to ask you…”

Light whipped out the Death Note and, with his own unique dramatic flair, showed Ryuk a pair of his full pages.

“Hee hee, wow this is amazing,” Ryuk grinned as he read the names. “Gotta say, I’m the one who’s surprised. I’ve heard of Death Notes getting down to the human world a few times before…but no one’s ever done this many in just five days.” His wide yellow eyes locked with Light’s. “Most people would be too scared.”

Light was scared, yes, but not in the way Ryuk thought. Still… “I’m ready for anything, Ryuk…I used the notebook, knowing it belonged to a Shinigami…and now the Shinigami’s here…what happens to me now? You take my soul or something?”

“Huh?” Ryuk said. “What’s that? Some fantasy you humans came up with? I’m not going to do anything to you. The moment a Death Note lands in the human world, it belongs to the human world. So it’s yours now.”

“Mine…” Light echoed.

“You don’t want it, give it to another human. When you do, I’ll just have to erase all your Death Note memories. Oh and-“Ryuk, as much of a drama queen as Light, hopped out the window and flew to perch on the powerlines. “Since you’ve used what was my notebook, you’re the only one who can see me. Nobody else can hear me either, of course. The Death Note is the bond between Light the human and Ryuk the Shinigami.”

“The bond…?” Light echoed. “So there really is no price to pay for using the Death Note?”

“Well not exactly…” Ryuk climbed back through Light’s window. “But there is the terror and torment that only humans who’ve used it will experience. And when you die I’ll be the one writing your name down but, don’t think that any human who’s used the Death Note can go to heaven or to hell. That’s all.”

Ryuk towered over Light. He was intimidating, and Light wasn’t really accustomed to dealing with the Shinigami for real yet, so he had to square himself against his instinctive fear.

“You’ll find out about that after you die,” Ryuk added, leaning in to peer closely at Light while he chuckled.

Light froze at his words.  _After I die…?_  That had been how Light’s nightmare had ended.  _Could that mean…? Was this what happened after a Death Note user died? Did your life just reset?_

Had everything in Light’s nightmare really already happened once? Did he have his time over again?

“O-okay, one more question,” Light managed through his shock. He wanted desperately to ask Ryuk about his six year long Groundhog Day, but he settled for what his nightmare self had asked. “Why did you choose me?”

“Hunh? Hyuk! Hyuk! Don’t flatter yourself. All I did was drop the notebook, that’s all. You thought I chose you? Cuz you’re so smart or something? It just happened to land somewhere around here…and you just happened to pick it up. That’s why I wrote the instructions in English - it’s the most popular language in your world.”

Light had already heard all of this, but it was nice to have it reaffirmed.

“Then why did you drop it?!” Light cried, letting some of his real desperation into his voice. “Don’t tell me it was by mistake, after you went and wrote all those instructions.”

“Why did I drop it…?” An evil smile curled Ryuk’s already grinning lips. “Because I was bored, that’s why.”

Ryuk explained the boring situation in the Shinigami world. Light listened patiently, feeling more interested the second time around. He wanted to see the Shinigami world for himself one day. It was the cause of all the woes and all the excitement in Light’s life, after all.

“I was bored too,” Light offered Ryuk when he’d finished. Light briefly explained what happened in the last five days, omitting any reference to his nightmare.

At the end, Ryuk simply said, “Okay.”

“I admit,” Light said, now sitting on his desk chair tiredly, “it’s been giving me bad dreams and I’ve hardly slept the last five days. I’ve lost four kilograms. Still I’m on a mission here. So I’ve been writing in the names of the world’s most brutal criminals. All the data I need is in my room. World news 24 hours a day on TV, plus everything on the internet.”

“But you only specified the cause of death for the guy who got hit by a truck, nobody else. How come?”

“Ryōtarō Sakajō was special,” Light deferred. “He was a test, to see if specifying the cause of death worked. Otherwise, if you don’t specify the cause of death, they all die from a heart attack. That’s the best thing about the Death Note, Ryuk.”

Late into his third sleepless night, Light had thrown caution to the wind and inscribed the name of Misa’s stalker into his Death Note. He was dead and couldn’t hurt Misa now. She would hopefully live to a ripe old age somewhere far away from Light. It had felt like nothing special to write Sakajō’s name in between so many other criminals, even if Sakajō was a well respected man with no criminal past as of present. He died in a traffic accident. Light checked the traffic incident reports in his dad’s NPA connected computer in the days after Sakajō’s death and, sure enough, he’d been flattened by a truck. The photographs had demonstrated the pain with which Sakajō had died, and Light decided it was only fitting since he’d seen fit to inflict Misa upon him in the nightmare timeline.

Having successfully brushed by Sakajō’s death with Ryuk, Light moved onto to explaining the important things. “I’ve already covered the most vicious criminals. So now the level of atrocity is coming down. And every single one of them will die of a heart attack! Even a fool is going to notice that somebody is bumping off the bad guys. I’m going to make the whole world know I’m here…that somebody is passing righteous judgement on them!!” Light couldn’t help himself; he beamed. Even if he didn’t like how Nightmare Kira had handled things, Light was proud of his intentions.

“And then nobody will commit crimes anymore. The world will start to become a better place,” he continued. Kira had originally followed up with some spiel about killing off immoral people, but Light swallowed the words. That was a flaw in the nightmare plan. Light was fixing not only the world’s mistakes, but his own. So Light slipped along to the next part of his speech, “Even the idiot masses will realise they’ll die if they don’t change their ways…I’ll make this a world inhabited only by good people!”

‘People I decide are good’ was how he’d said it in his nightmare. As God, Light would need to exert such decisive control over the world, but this kind of hubris had led to his death in the nightmare. As such, Light was trying to adapt. Altering his inherit control freak personality was killing him a little on the inside, but it was better than making so many bad choices, as he had in the nightmare. Light intended that this time around, he would have L by his side as early as possible to ensure better decision making. L might have an even worse moral compass than Light, but he had such rigid ideals when it came to justice that he’d help Light stay on the straight and narrow of being a good God.

Or something. Light hadn’t really planned that far ahead. He was still waiting to see how L would reveal himself this time. If he went for the Lind L. Tailor strategy, Light would have to get creative to avoid making L think he wanted him dead, while simultaneously killing Tailor to let L know he was in Kanto so they could meet. Once Light made it past that hurdle, he would tackle the uncertain future with all his intelligence and knowledge. Tentative plans would become solid and he would create a new world with L by his side.

Meanwhile, back in the world outside of Light’s mind, Ryuk was saying, “You do something like that, the only one left with a bad personality will be you.”

Light’s sunshine smile only increased in lumens. The only ones left with a bad personality would be him and L. “What are you talking about, Ryuk? I’m a serious, straight A student, a model teenager…and I will reign over a new world.”

Ryuk grinned along with Light, caught up in the fun of it all.  _I was right_ , he thought,  _humans are fun!!_

\- - -

Meanwhile, halfway around the world, at a G8 Summit, a meeting of the International Criminal Police Organisation was being held to address the issue of every evil person in the world dropping dead like flies.

The meeting hall was in a din. “Fifty two in the last week and that’s just those we know about!” “Every single one from cardiac arrest.” “All of the victims are criminals either being pursued by police or already behind bars.” “We may assume that more wanted criminals, whose whereabouts are unknown, have died as well.” “In which case the death toll will be well over a hundred…”

And further away still, a mysterious figure in a white shirt and jeans sat on a wood panelled floor in front of a computer watching the Interpol meeting. “Hmm…so Interpol’s finally starting to move on this. Well, this is one case where I’m going to need some help from the police.”

\- - -

End Chapter One


	2. The World In Technicolor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Tailor makes his stunning debut, Light is the biggest L fanboy alive, and L is confused as to what the heck Kira thinks he’s doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fixed chapter one so the spelling/grammar and italicisation should all be better now. And, more importantly, I decided to keep good old Beyond Birthday alive so I edited the paragraph about him. It did feel a little shoehorned in, killing him like that, so I’m happier this way. Light is totally down with killing him, he just doesn’t know if L is, so he thought he’d leave it until later, when L can tell him personally what he’d like. Light may have some issues.
> 
> If you don’t wanna go back and reread chapter one, here the relevant exert:
> 
> By the fifth day of owning the Death Note, day five post-nightmare, Light had successfully killed every major dictator, serial killer, crime lord and vicious criminal he could find. He had hesitated when it came to signing Beyond Birthday into the Note. The initial B in his name still sat unfinished in its line. Originally, Light had killed him on day four of owing the Note. His nightmare self had later figured that this was one of the things that had attracted L to the case. L, for all that Beyond had done to him, must have still cared for the psychopath. This time around, instead of carelessly writing out Beyond’s name as one of many, Light sighed and left his space blank. Beyond was in prison, unlikely to be hurting anyone anytime soon, so Light would wait to ask L what he wanted to do.

Chapter Two: The World In Technicolor

\- - - 

あふれだした手動が僕らの胸を打つ

今二人のストーリー動き出した

巡り合った衝撃で色のない世界が

一瞬で鮮やかに色図いてゆくよ

\- Pigstar,  _Shoudou Impulse_

_\- - -_

Life as Kira was surprisingly normal. At least, that’s what Light had come to think after being Justice personified for a week. He still attended high school and prep school, still made small talk with the small minds around him, and the world spun madly on.

There were, naturally, a few differences. A big (literally), big one was the Ryuk shaped shadow that followed Light everywhere he went. Light had no idea how he’d put up with it in the nightmare. Ryuk followed him like a lost puppy, into the toilet, to school, hanging upside down from the roof while Light did his homework, phasing halfway through solid objects and sometimes people. Light half wanted to yell at the idiot Shinigami, and half wanted to laugh at his antics.

Soon after Ryuk had settled in on the afternoon he’d first come to Light, Light had put aside his Death Note and his homework, and decided to make friends with his new stalker. He’d set up his Nintendo 64 with his television (he had used to play it with Yamamoto all the time before…) and selected Mario Golf to play. He recalled it was Ryuk’s favourite, and Light would admit he was fond of the game as well.

It hadn’t taken long (Light was on the opening menu) for Ryuk to sidle over to inspect what Light was doing. Light offered the Shinigami a controller which was accepted into monstrous claws. “Ever played a video game before?”

“No,” returned the expected answer.

“Well, this is a Nintendo 64 console and game cartridges go in here, then you take the controller like this…” Light had shown Ryuk how to play (the Shinigami was a surprisingly quick study) and the pair had spent the next hour facing off in simulated golf.

Ryuk had warmed up to Light after that, and even more so when Light passed his mother’s apples onto the burgeoning addict. Light found he didn’t mind Ryuk so much when the Shinigami was sufficiently distracted.

Apart from Ryuk, the next biggest difference in Light’s life was the countdown he’d started in his head until Lind L. Tailor’s grand debut. Light had bounced back and forth between an array of potential plans to tackle the issue. He knew he couldn’t just kill Tailor, not only because that was a dumbass mistake Nightmare Light had made, but because it would put L offside. L had told him in the nightmare that he’d known if Kira killed Tailor he would then try to kill L as well, but since he couldn’t it meant Kira had limitations on who he could kill.

Light had reluctantly concluded he would have to do something to Tailor so L would know to look in Kanto for him. So the next obvious thought was to get Tailor to die with detail, leaving L a message of some kind. But Light remembered the trouble he’d had in his nightmare getting prisoners to follow a detailed death plan. If even one thing he instructed Tailor to do was impossible for the man, he would drop dead of a heart attack and Light would be back at square one.

Light’s other option was to leave Tailor, and get a message to L some other way. L had to know to stay in Japan or Light’s future would be pointless. But Light couldn’t make it too obvious. So what to do…?

Light had angsted over this for days now, hyperaware that even the tiniest flaw in planning and execution would result in his losing L, possibly for good. Light knew L was smart enough to suspect him regardless of whether he made any mistakes or not, but the problem was getting himself on L’s radar in the first place.

Light had been killing as often throughout the day as possible. He couldn’t well carry the Note with him to school (what if some idiot got their hands on it and saw Ryuk? Light would be screwed), so he scheduled criminals to die randomly. He still killed slightly more outside of school hours, partly because there was only so much time in a day, but mostly because he needed to attract L’s attention. A police family’s teenage kid was who L had deduced was Kira in the nightmare. Light wanted him to reach the same conclusion, even though it was a dangerous game to draw such attention to himself. However, Light intended to make it a slim enough increase that only L would pay it any mind. The more important profile he needed to draw of himself for L was of someone connected to the police. L wouldn’t personally reveal himself until he had a smaller task force anyway so Light had to whittle down the police around L somehow. Playing to L’s paranoia was the ideal method.

And, all of that was well and good, but he still had Tailor to deal with.

\- - -

On the fated day, Light’s friends walked him home from school. They didn’t often do so, but they wanted to hear his opinion on Kira. Not that they knew yet to call the one judging criminals Kira, but they would, soon. L would paste it all over the news. Light couldn’t escape the title, even if he was escaping its fate.

Light’s friends bid him farewell at his door. Light went inside, Ryuk trailing along and commenting on how much Light seemed to be enjoying all the gossip. Light greeted his mother as he passed her in the hallway. When Light and Ryuk were safely locked in his room, Light answered the Shinigami.

“I’m not really enjoying this, Ryuk. Because I leave the Death Note at home, and I can’t relax until I see it again.” Light took the aforementioned Note out of its hiding spot - in a hollowed out edition of World’s Greatest Buildings. Light’s architectural phase was finally paying off. He kept anything he didn’t want his family finding inside the twenty part series.

Light sat at his desk and arranged his normal Death Note Writing Session set up. Once the television was set to the channel ABCN, he passed the time until Tailor’s appearance by showing Ryuk some of the Kira websites that had sprung up in the last few days.

Inevitably, the television turned to static. Then, a flash of colour; a handsome Caucasian man in a suit and tie sat at a desk looking very serious. The plaque in front of him clearly read ‘Lind L. Tailor’.

“We are interrupting the program to being you a live, globally televised broadcast from Interpol, with Japanese voiceover by Yoshio Anderson,” the narrator explained.

Tailor took it from there.

“I am Lind L. Tailor, more commonly known as ‘L’ - the sole person able to mobilise police in every country worldwide. Criminals have been the target of a killing spree which has turned into the biggest serial killing case in history. This monstrous crime must be stopped at all costs. ‘Kira’, as the perpetrator is commonly known,  **will**  be caught. I guarantee it.”

Ryuk started chuckling at Light’s predicament. “He says he’s gonna catch you, Light.”

Light, who had been busy staring slack-jawed at the screen, shook himself into action. “No,” he told Ryuk firmly. “I’ll catch him.”

“Hunh?” Ryuk was understandably confused. Light was keeping him in the dark far more this time around.

“Kira,” Tailor continued, in what was an impressively strong voice for a man scheduled to die today. “I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of why you’re doing this.” Light wished L did.  _He will_ , Light thought,  _in time_. “But what you are doing…is evil!!”

Light flinched; he couldn’t help it. He’d been doing his best to avoid L interpreting him that way, but it was early days yet, and Light was sure L would finally see his way. Still, it hurt to hear his idol call him evil.

The Death Note lay open before Light. Light looked from it to the television and back again; this was the moment of reckoning. He would either win L or lose him with this next act. So, no pressure.

Light picked up a pen. Ryuk perked up in interest, peering over Light’s shoulder to see what he was writing. He started laughing hard when he realised where Light was going with this.

Tailor continued, “Police worldwide have launched a coordinated investigation…”

The condemned man stood suddenly, papers spilling across the desk in front of him. He spread his arms wide and declared, with more flare than Light had anticipated, “I am not the real L. The real L needs to try harder.” Tailor then clutched at his chest, as his heart exploded inside him, and promptly dropped dead.

All was silent for a moment as the world held its breath. Then someone screamed and people rushed to Tailor’s side, hurriedly checking his vital status. Light already knew what they’d find, and he leant back in his desk chair smugly.

Ryuk was all but rolling on the floor laughing, literally, and Light admitted he was chuckling too, feeling rather pleased with himself. He liked this plan; it made his point, that he was God and not to be trifled with, but was also playful enough that he hoped L would pick up on his good intentions.

Light pictured L’s reaction at the unexpected turn of events; whatever candy he’d been holding between his teeth dropped to the floor in shock, and he would spend a minute sulking. (Though Light had no way of knowing it, he wasn’t far off.)

L’s computed-modulated voice came through the television a minute later, a gothic stylised L onscreen. He had taken longer to regroup this time than in the nightmare. Light felt rather proud of that.

“I…don’t believe it,” L said. Light straightened in his chair, every neuron focused on the words. “This was an experiment to test a hunch I had, but I never really thought. Kira…You can actually kill people without direct contact.”

Light was beaming at the television, which probably confused the hell out of Ryuk (not that Light particularly cared). He had known L would understand; he had known but he was still so happy. L was coming to meet him, soon. Light would never be bored again.

“So my hunch was right. I couldn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes but you can…” Light was mildly surprised by just how much he was enjoying hearing L’s voice  ~~again after so long~~  for the first time. “You’d have to, of course; it didn’t make sense otherwise.”

“Kira, listen to me. The man you just killed, Lind L. Tailor, was a criminal condemned to die on this day. His arrest and conviction were kept secret from the media and went unreported on the internet. You might not have known that. But what you did know, I don’t know how you knew, but you are right. He was not the real L.  _ **I am**_.”

“Of course you are,” Light was smiling beatifically, “if you weren’t, I’d be disappointed.”

“So come on, Kira, kill me!”

Light flinched so hard he fell out of his chair. “What…?!”

“Come on! Go ahead and kill me. I’m still here. What are you waiting for? Can’t do it?” L was taunting him, or rather taunting the kind of person he believed Kira was. Light pouted at the television from his place on the floor.

“That jerk…” he grumbled. Of course L wouldn’t take him killing Tailor lying down.  _Stupid bastard_. Light could only hope L figured out Light wasn’t killing him by choice, not as a matter of ability.

L Lawliet.

Light remembered. It would hardly take more than a couple seconds to end the detective’s life. He could do it whenever he wanted. And yet that was the thing; Light didn’t want to. He never would. The memories of life after L were burnt into his brain. Light would do anything to avoid that ending to his story.

“Or maybe you won’t? No amount of nobility changes the fact that what you’re doing is evil, Kira.”

Light was scowling now. L was pushing the limits of his patience. He knew the detective just didn’t understand yet, but Light didn’t appreciate the insults any more for that knowledge.

“You’ve given me a valuable clue,” L said. Light’s head tilted to the side, considering. What clue could L mean? It wasn’t like he had conclusive proof this time that Light couldn’t kill without a name and a face. In fact, L shouldn’t have the foggiest that that was the case. So what…? Tailor. Of course.

“Fuck,” Light breathed. Tailor’s criminal status was completely top secret. Only those in Interpol with connections to the case and those originally on the case (and L) would know about him. Unless L was willing to believe Kira was able to read Tailor’s mind, it meant Kira was involved in high level police work. Light wanted to scream. If this distracted L from finding Light, he’d- he’d- Well, Light didn’t know what he’d do, but it was something drastic.

“Now I’ll give you some information in return,” L continued like he hadn’t just steamrolled over Light’s flawless plan. “Although it was announced that this was being televised globally, it was actually broadcast only in the Kanto region around Tokyo. The plan was to broadcast live to other areas in turn, but that’s no longer necessary. You are in the Kanto region of Japan, Kira.”

Light sighed in relief. At least L had gotten that right!

Ryuk chuckled, sat where he was on the floor with Light. “Hyuk hyuk. He’s pretty sharp, this L.”

“And although the police have missed this, your first victim was he Shinjuku killer who took eight people hostage in a nursery school.”

In his nightmare, Light had been nearly in inconsolable by this point. Now he was tempted to get up and do a jig, he was so happy.

“His crime when compared to those of the notorious murderers who’ve died of heart attacks was not very serious. Moreover the case was reported only in Japan, nowhere else… That was all the information I needed.”

L could hardly have done better if Light had handwritten him a letter of confession on a Note page and mailed it to him. He was so proud of his future partner in justice.

_Find me!_ Light willed at L through the television.

“I knew, Kira, that you were in Japan! And that your first victim was nothing more than a guinea pig for testing out your powers!” Light would applaud him, if that wouldn’t make Ryuk think he’d totally lost his marbles. “We broadcast first to Kanto because it has the largest regional population in your country. That you were there was just pure luck. I didn’t expect this to work so perfectly according to plan,” Light did scoff at that, because he and L both knew Light had thrown him a curve ball on this one, “but now I may dare say, it may not be so long before I send you to die.” Light wasn’t even offended this time. He knew L was too interested in him to execute him, even if he did somehow catch Light before Light caught him.

“Kira, it would interest me greatly to know how you carry out your murders…but that’s something I can find out after I catch you! I will find you and stop you, if it’s the last thing I do! I am Justice!” L paused momentarily in his monologue. “How’s that for trying harder?” He snarked. “Until we meet again, Kira.”

“Drama queen,” Light teased under his breath.

L signed off and the news resumed its regular broadcast. The topic of discussion was, inevitably, on what had just transpired. Light quickly switched it off, because he had more important things to think about.

Like how Ryuk was staring at him. “Hora, Lighto, how’d you know that guy wasn’t L?”

Light shrugged with a studied nonchalance. “It was obvious. L is the world’s greatest and most mysterious detective. He would never appear on television.”

Ryuk seemed to accept his logic, but then said, “So you’re both trying to find someone you know nothing about…Not their name, face or anything else. And whoever is found first, is dead.” Ryuk seemed inordinately pleased with this.

Light frowned. He hadn’t exactly planned on telling Ryuk he didn’t intend to kill L, but he couldn’t well have the Shinigami going off on his own and doing anything to harm the detective. Not that that was likely but Light didn’t want to take any chances.

“I’ll win, but not by killing him,” Light hedged, purposefully teasing Ryuk’s interest. The Shinigami looked decidedly intrigued. “I’ll win by making him see my way, Ryuk. I am righteous. L’s smart. He’ll come to see that I’m right.”

“How?” Ryuk asked.

“I’ll have to get close to him first,” Light explained slowly. “He’ll know I’m Kira, but he won’t be able to prove it. He’ll want to keep an eye on me and I’ll use that against him. I can be very charming when I want to be, Ryuk.”

Ryuk looked a bit dubious at that thought, like Light couldn’t charm the pants off of any living being.

Light smiled sweetly. “You’ll see. It’ll be fun. L will be mine by the end of this.”

Ryuk grinned.

\- - -

_Meanwhile, in the Shinigami world…_

“Hey, you seen Ryuk around lately?” one skeletal Shinigami asked another.

“He said he dropped his notebook down in the human world. You think that was for real?”

“If a human picked it up, he’d be stuck there until the human died or the Notebook was done.”

“How troublesome. Not even Ryuk would wanna do that.”

“You never know with that Ryuk though. Plus I heard he had two Notebooks.”

“Huh? Why would he want two?”

Off to the side, a squat Shinigami made half of bone and half of flesh listened in to the conversation. His friend, a tall Shinigami lady of bleached bone with purple hair, sat beside him on the rocky precipice.

“Hey, Gelus, you don’t think…?” the lady asked.

“It makes sense,” the smaller Shinigami rattled. “Someone had to have changed Misa’s lifespan.”

“But why would Ryuk save her?”

“I don’t think it was him, Rem…”

\- - -

End Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading! This chapter is a little shorter than the first as each chapter will largely cover one plot point, so an not to run on and become confusing. I'll try to keep updating regularly :)
> 
> Some thoughts on the fic:  
> Light is a gay dork in this fic. His personality will largely remain like pre-Note Light, with a lot of Yotsuba Light thrown in. Kira will mostly stay the hell away, although he may make some unwanted appearances.  
> Light is a total nerd. He owns a Nintendo 64 and plays Mario Golf willing pre-Note, just saying. The guy owns architecture books. He’s the sorta dude who would enjoy him some Game Theory. Also when he first kills people he canonically feels awful. I think part of his reason for throwing himself into being Kira so completely is Light doesn’t want to admit he killed to people because he was bored and curious. There needed to be some better reason so he invented one…and then killed a few hundred thousand to prove it. Like I said, Light has issues. But in this timeline, thanks to him already knowing how badly he screwed up the first time, Light is insulated against such supreme dumbassery. He’s still flawed. Mistakes will be made. But nothing on the scale of ‘guess I better kill people to make my point’  
> Bored is half code for lonely in Light’s vocabulary.  
> Light may be gay but he’s so in denial that he’s retreated so far back into the closest he found Narnia. So don’t expect him to figure out he loves L for a while, cause he may be smart but he’s also dense. Also also, Light has read all Junjou Romantica, and we’ll say for the sake of argument that this timeline is bumped forward a tiny bit from the original, or that Sekai’s publishing was bumped back, because the references are too good to pass up.


	3. The Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light does some things to distract himself for the boredom of waiting for L.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry this update took a little longer. I’m going to try for a Chapter per week. This one took a while because new plot happens and I spent a lot of time calculating the rationales and outcomes for it. Let me know what you think :)  
> Also, a survey for the commenters!  
> Do you believe that L is a) faking his behaviours as Ryūzaki and is actually able to stand straight etc or b) he genuinely is the way he is.  
> Let me know in the comments please! Answering ‘a’ or ‘b’ would be fine.  
> Also there are a butt-tonne of A/N’s at the end, which are mostly notes on how I’m writing the characters + story, if you’re interested.

Chapter Three: The Waiting Game

\- - -

I’m empty and I’m cold,

And my heart’s about to break,

Come and find me.

I need you to come here,

And find me,

Cause without you,

I’m totally lost.

Winnie the Pooh,  _Wherever You Are_

\- - -

In the days following his first confrontation with L, Light was switching between jump-up-and-down-on-the-spot levels of anticipation for L’s next move and mind numbing boredom while he waited for the game to pick up again. Of course, externally, Light was the same serious student as ever.

On one fine afternoon, Light was busying himself with guessing the densities of clouds while he lounged by his bedroom window on the floor, when he was interrupted from his really very important thoughts by Ryuk.

“I’ve never seen you looking so listless, Light,” the Shinigami hedged while munching on his fifth apple of the afternoon. Light was genuinely stumped as to how, what with his upswing in apple purchases, L never caught him in his nightmare based solely upon that taunting riddle he’d sent him.

The teen played distractedly with a strand of his auburn hair. “I’m just taking a break. I want to see what L does next. Plus I’m kinda tired.” He leaned back with a yawn. “Take one step out of the house and all you hear about is L and Kira. You can’t avoid it, even if you want to… I guess it might be pretty interesting if I wasn’t Kira.”  _And if I wasn’t stuck here waiting for L to make a move_.

_…Guess I’ll have to take the initiative. Thanks, L ‘I’ve never been submissive to anything in my life including traffic lights’ Lawliet._

The door handle of Light’s bedroom door rattled suddenly, startling Light. “Why do you have to lock your door, Light?” Light’s baby sister, Sayu, complained loudly through the timber.

“Hey, Sayu,” Light called back, rolling numbly up off the floor. “What’s up?”

“I need help with my homework,” came the predictable reply.

Light let his sister in. She held up her maths textbook like it was a prize on a game show. “Ta-da! Quadratic functions!”

Light looked at the books dubiously but took them anyway, saying, “Uh-huh.” He would bet his Death Note that Sayu didn’t know how to solve one equation in that book.

Ryuk loomed over the Yagami siblings. “Watch out, Light,” he advised. “If your sister touches the Death Note, she - well anyone who does - will be able to see me.”

Light had to restrain himself from physically rolling his eyes at his idiot Shinigami.  _Way ahead of you on that one, Ryuk…_

The Death Note was safely tucked away in his architectural encyclopaedias. Sayu knew one of the volumes was hollowed out for what was left of Light’s yaoi stash (he couldn’t bring himself to throw it away), but she didn’t think any of the others were hollow, or if she did, Light knew she wouldn’t want to check for fear of getting an eyeful of her brother’s dirty magazines. (The fact she knew about the first hollow book was a long story Light would rather avoid thinking about.) The book mightn’t be the best place for the Death Note in the long term, and Nightmare Light’s dramatic Mad Max style desk drawer was a solid plan, but Light had decided to think up his own hiding place rather than leech off his nightmare’s ideas. After all, his nightmare had gotten a lot of stuff wrong.

So, unconcerned with Ryuk, who had settled down on Light’s bed to watch the Yagami’s study, Light spent the next hour trying to teach Sayu maths. The process was roughly equivalent to herding cats. Hell would freeze over before Sayu willingly completed an equation. As had been the standard since elementary school, Light all but did Sayu’s homework for her, with his little sister watching with glazed eyes. She was a sweetheart, and Light loved her, but she could be dumb as a bag of hammers at times. Her talents lay in social relations, not IQ. She had more genuine friends than Light had written names in the Death Note, or so it seemed. He couldn’t keep up.

“Gosh, you’re such a math whiz!” Sayu complimented him with complete sincerity.

Light puffed up a little with pride but managed a sceptical eyebrow raise. He loved his little sister, and flattery would get you everywhere with Light, but he wasn’t falling for her innocent act. “Look, did you really get it?”

“Uh,” Sayu hedged, “well, sort of.”

She was saved by the bell, literally, as the doorbell rang. Light could hear his mother welcoming his father home, and teasing him gently for forgetting his keys yet again.

“That must be dad,” Sayu turned on her improvised chair (Light’s footstool). “He’s home early today.” She hopped up to run and greet him.

Light scolded her on her way out, “Hey, at least solve the last problem by yourself.”

“After dinner okay?” she grinned cheekily at him. Light sighed and rolled his eyes affectionately. He followed her downstairs, closing his door behind him. Ryuk phased through after him, undisturbed by trivial human world things like solid matter.

“Light! Sayu! It’s dinner time! Come downstairs!” Sachiko called to her children.

“Coming!” Sayu chirped, rounding the corner at the bottoms on the stairs. “Hi daddy!”

Sōichirō Yagami was sitting in the entrance, untying his shoes. Light looked down at his father as he greeted him, “Dad, welcome home.”

Sōichirō, who was rarely home, had brought with him a peculiar kind of tension unique to the Yagami family. His great expectations of his children were stifling, and even Sayu’s bubbly personality turned down a notch in his presence. Light had long since learned to be perfect thanks to his father’s influence. As such, Sōichirō never bothered him much, anymore.

The family sat down for dinner, cooked by Sachiko, and to any outsider it seemed like the perfect nuclear family. Ryuk hung around behind Light, watching the family’s interactions curiously. Everyone was silent for a time, focusing on eating, until Sōichirō initiated conversation. “How’s school going, Light?”

Light startled. His father never started dinner conversations. He was usually too tired from work.

“Okay,” Light replied calmly, adjusting to the situation quickly. “Same as usual, dad.”

“Yup!” Sayu added. “Top of the class as usual! You can count on Light.”

Sōichirō turned his attention onto Sayu. She pouted as she realised she shouldn’t have said anything. “And what about you, Sayu?”

“Who, me?” she squeaked. “Are you…sure you want to know?” She rubbed the back of her head nervously. “I guess it’s…same as usual for me too.”

“I see,” Sōichirō said as he put down his chopsticks.

Light studied his father’s expression carefully, judging his mood as simply tired. “You seem tired, dad,” Light prompted.

Sōichirō closed his eyes tiredly. “Well…this case is a hard one, to put it mildly. It’s practically a wild goose chase.”

Light kept his composure. He knew his father meant Kira, and Light was almost sorry his father was suffering work-related stress because of his actions. Light wondered if he should dial down the cleansing for a while; his father would have a stress-induced heart attack  ~~again~~  if he wasn’t careful.

“But,” Sōichirō continued, “the person in charge of the investigation did say today that judging from the estimated time of death, the killer is probably a student…”

Light swiftly placed some food in his mouth to avoid exclaiming. L had picked up on his clue!

Sachiko frowned at her husband. “I don’t think this is a subject for the dinner table…”

“Why not?” Sōichirō countered. “We’ve had cases before where ideas from Light helped us move the investigation forward.”

Light half wanted to press the subject, maybe hear some of his father’s opinions on the case, but he knew he ought not push his luck this early in the game. Still…

“You’re working on the Kira case, aren’t you dad?”

Sōichirō startled then smiled proudly. “It’s highly confidential,” he said light-heartedly. “But I suppose you know that already, Light. Have you been following the case?”

“Of course.” Light folded his arms across his chest and settled in comfortably. “It’s all everyone ever talks about these days. I’ve been working on a profile of Kira in my spare time.” Light cleared his throat and began, “Kira has killed upwards of 500 people across most countries in the world.” It was a lowball figure that Light knew his father would believe he had been able to calculate. “Kira is likely a young man, in his late teens to early twenties. He’s Japanese, as L established in his televised confrontation with Kira. Speaking of which, although it is not something I’m happy to consider, Kira is probably killing through some kind of telepathy. This would explain how he knew that man on TV wasn’t the real L. Unfortunately, this would make it nearly impossible to catch Kira as there would likely be no concrete evidence. L would need Kira to confess. He’ll have to back Kira into a corner, and that could be dangerous.” Light’s eyes snapped open to stare at his father with concern. “I’m worried about you, dad. L could have been killed in his little stunt on TV, and I don’t want to see the same happen to you.”

Sachiko nodded along. “Yes, dear, your health isn’t as good as it used to be. You should at least come home more often from the case to rest.”

Sōichirō looked backed into a corner himself. “Everyone,” he frowned, “thank you for worrying about me, but please don’t. I’ll be fine. We’ll catch Kira soon.”

Light offered a supportive smile. “I know you will, dad.”

Sōichirō returned his son’s smile with a tired one of his own. “Your profile is excellent, as usual, Light. In fact, after you’re accepted into university, why don’t you come to freelance on the case like you’ve done previously?”

Light could hardly believe his hears or his luck. “Would that really be alright with such a high profile case?”

“Well, to be honest,” Sōichirō said, “we could use the help. If it wasn’t for L, I’m not sure we would know how to go about solving this case.”

“Nonsense,” Light rejoined. “You’d figure something out, dad. Good old fashioned police work will solve this case. L is just here to help.”

Sōichirō looked like he’d had his confidence boosted a bit by this statement. If Light knew anything – and he did know a lot of things – he knew how to fluff his father’s feathers.

“Well, I’ll head upstairs to study now,” Light announced, rising from his seat. “Sayu, was that all the help you needed?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Sayu said.

“Was Light helping you do your homework again, Sayu?” Sōichirō asked.

“Gee Light! Thanks a lot for blabbing!” Sayu complained playfully, shaking her fist at Light’s back. Light smiled fondly as he headed off.

Once they were back in Light’s room, Ryuk asked him, “Your father is chief of the NPA? Is that why you haven’t been worried about the police? Because you have a man on the inside?”

Light shrugged and flopped onto his bed. “Not particularly.” He yawned widely. “L will figure out I’m Kira soon, but he won’t be able to prove it. I have to get close to L to convert him, remember? In order to do that, I have to get involved in the investigation somehow. There’s no guarantee my dad can get me on the team, so dropping just enough hints that I’m Kira to catch L’s interest, but not enough so that he can even begin to prove I’m Kira, is the best way to guarantee L will want to be close to me.” Light looked up at Ryuk with wide eyes. “Don’t you agree Ryuk? It’s more fun this way anyway. Just wait and see what I have in store for L.”

Ryuk chuckled. “What’s that, Light?”

Light sprung off his bed and stretched his arms over his head. He shook out his legs and arms, cracked his neck, and grinned at the Shinigami. He ducked over to his bookshelf and retrieved the Death Note.

\- - -

L knew Kira could control the actions of his victims at least somewhat before their deaths. Tailor’s pronouncement of L needing to ‘try harder’ was sufficient evidence of that. Still, he hadn’t expected the extent of the serial killer’s ability.

Twenty three criminals had died of a heart attack today, and another twenty three yesterday. Kira was showing L he could control the time of death, and, more importantly, he definitely had some connection to law enforcement. First his suspicious knowledge of Tailor’s identity, and now, leaked information about Kira potentially being a student from the task force. Kira was either directly involved in the NPA task force’s investigation of Kira or had access to the information in some way. L had immediately brought the FBI in to investigate the 141 people in the NPA connected to the case, and their relations. So while the FBI was conducting their investigation, L could focus on trying to unravel Kira’s powers.

Kira could only kill if he knew someone’s face. He could control the time of death, and, to an extent, his victim’s actions. The cause of death was always a heart attack. His victims were always criminals of the highest calibre. They were all first degree murderers or violent serial offenders like rapists and arsonists. Kira thought he was just, that he was doing God’s work - no, that  _he_  was God. He was young enough to be naive enough to think he could change the world, and old enough to effectively carry out these murders. His early killing pattern suggested a student, but the change in pattern suggested a law enforcement official or someone related to law enforcement.

It was simultaneously a lot more than L had expected when he picked up the case, and far, far too little.

But Kira liked to taunt L. L could use that to his advantage. All of the 46 criminals to die over the last two days had left some kind of message. Sometimes it was written in blood on their cell wall, other times with pen and paper if they had it handy. One creative individual had used the entire vat of mashed potatoes in the jail kitchen to spell out his note. Each message varied heavily in content. Some were mad ramblings, many warned of Kira, and the mashed potatoes chap had gotten creative only to write: イングランドでてんきがいいそう. Commenting on the weather in England was both somehow the most ridiculous thing one could employ potatoes to write, and the most sinister. For a moment, L had wondered in horror just how much Kira knew about him. First Tailor and now this. L had chosen to put such fears aside for the time being, aware that if Kira did know so much about him and his past, he was well past the point of no return. Kira could destroy L in more ways than simple death if he knew who L really was. L comforted himself with the fact that Kira didn’t know his face nor any of the faces of the people he cared about, and so they were all still relatively safe. Or as safe as anyone could be in this dangerous world.

The messages had some significance to them, L was sure. He would use the spare time granted to him by the FBI investigating the task force to figure out what exactly that significance was.

The first message read: かんがえ|ると|いずれしけいになるか|てまねきしているあい|つにころされるだけだ。しってい|る。おれはキラのそんざいを|えものにされる。It was a predication that either the hangman’s noose or Kira would kill the prisoner in question. It was written strangely, with sentences cutting out to start on a new line seemingly at random…Unless you read across the top only! “L do you know?” it queried. L gasped quietly. He quickly scanned a few more messages…only for his excitement to drop into disappointment. Apparently limerick style wasn’t the only way to interpret the messages. None of the top lines of the other messages held hidden meaning, and some didn’t even have a distinct top line.

After a few more minutes of forlornly reading Kira’s messages, L could only conclude the killer was messing with him. He had hoped for a more intelligent conversation, if one could call it that.

The last two messages weren’t even hiding anything. Although, they were confusing. The very last posed a hypothetical question for L: ふたりのストーリーはなんなんだろう, What will our story be? It was perhaps a taunt, a threat, or a reference to the life-and-death game L and Kira were playing. The penultimate message was, of all things, a proverb. 灯台下暗し, it read. While the rest of the messages were entirely in hiragana and katakana, this was in kanji. It stood out like a sore thumb. Speaking of, L bit down too hard on the thumb he was worrying at when it occurred to him that this message was the key to reading the whole package. ‘You can’t see the forest for the trees’ it hinted.

If L took the first letter of each message, the trees as it were, and combined them into a forest…

らいねんのことをいえばおにがわらう

いしのうえにもさんねん

とんびにあぶらあげをさらわれる

Each was a Japanese proverb. “‘It is worthless to discuss matters too far in advance’,” L murmured to himself. “‘A rolling stone gathers no moss’. ‘Sometimes you lose something important, and don’t know what to do’.”

It…made a kind of sense, when L thought of it in terms of the story between himself and the killer. Kira was trying to say their battle was undecided, that he was taking action against L…and that he, Kira, had lost something important? Or was it a threat? Would L lose something important? Regardless, Kira was still messing with L, but it at least meant the killer had some level of intelligence.  _What an elaborate way to hide a message_ , L mused.  _It’s almost like he’s trying to one-up someone else._

\- - -

Although Light wasn’t exactly fond of his nightmare self’s schemes, he had to admit he hadn’t done an awful job as Kira the first time around. His conviction for making a new world was so strong he was willing to sacrifice anything and everything - innocent lives, his family and loved ones, himself. Light sympathised with his nightmare self because he felt the same conviction. The world was rotting from the inside out. If Light didn’t save it from itself, no-one else would have the strength to do so. But Light had been granted the foresight this time to see how badly he could go wrong. Kira’s path was more of a tightrope than a road. One wrong move, even the slightest wobble, could send it all crashing down.

His nightmare had made such a wobble (although it was more like an earthquake). He had decided to eliminate L, and the blood on Light’s hands from his attempts to do so had only grown and grown until it was an ocean. His family suffered, Misa suffered (although she was there by choice so Light blamed his nightmare self less for that one), the task force had suffered, Rem had suffered, Near and Mello and Matt and Watari had suffered. L had suffered. Most had died. And Light hadn’t even won in the end.

So Light was determined not to go even one wobble off the tightrope of Kira this time. The world would be saved, because Light would save L, not kill him. Light wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it this time.

And so, Light found himself in the same abandoned warehouse as his nightmare self, cradling his Death Note in his arms. Light had spent the night two nights ago carefully writing out the names of 46 criminals to die every hour on the hour yesterday and today. He’d nearly done his head in coming up with 46 messages that anyone could write, so none would be missed out on. Now, Light had the day, a Saturday, to himself. No need to play at being God today. And so he had taken his Note and bid his family goodbye (although not his father, who had gone back to work at the crack of dawn). He walked out to the disused building, knowing it would indeed be empty as his nightmare had told him so. He had found a relatively clean place on the floor to sit, pulled the Note out of his pants (an uncreative but effective hiding place), and curled up with it.

Light had explained to Ryuk on the way over what he was doing with the 46 criminals; the challenge he was presenting to L, and the hint that he could control the time of death. Ryuk had found it highly amusing. Light had smiled along with the Shinigami, but inside he was cringing. He was faced with a difficult fork in the road.

Soon enough, the FBI would come down on Light. He knew that from the nightmare; as well as the fact that his name was on a list of 141 names of NPA personnel and their families with access to the Kira case that would come across L’s lap very soon. He was confident he could outsmart anyone L threw at him, so that wasn’t the problem. Light was even fairly confident these events would occur the same way as they had before. Yet, there was doubt. And Light was not at all comfortable with there being doubt.

The doubt had arisen from the incident with Lind L. Tailor. L had to suspect Kira had some connection to someone involved with Tailor’s case. Light could choose to be optimistic and hope that L had decided Kira was simply telepathic, but Light was feeling decidedly paranoid these days. He didn’t want to take even one chance. So, he had to ensure L came at him through Sōichirō like before. It gave Light some measure of protection, and helped guarantee he would eventually meet L in person. Light also had to ensure L distrusted the NPA task force enough to investigate it, and that the task force found out about it somehow and thus disbanded. Since Light wasn’t about the kill the FBI agents this time, he had to find another, more creative, way to get his point across. He would frighten them, somehow, but kill them? Never. And Light had to achieve these two things all while not making L turn his attention away from the NPA to the legal forces involved in Tailor’s arrest and conviction.

Light felt a migraine coming in. Understandably. He hugged the Note to his chest in the empty warehouse, Ryuk watching over him curiously. Light had to achieve all of that without letting the Note be discovered, let alone by his family. He refused to set up what was essentially a bomb in his house again, concerned that this time around his family might open it and be hurt, and that also if the Note was burned, Light would lose his memories and any hope of keeping L by his side. The boredom would come back, and Kira’s new world would be lost. It was too risky. Light had to come up with an alternative hiding place.

“I don’t think you came here because you enjoy the ambience,” Ryuk snarked. “What’re you up to, Light?”

“Whoever touches the Death Note can see you right? That’s a problem.” Light’s eyes were cast down. Even Ryuk seemed stumped by the low atmosphere.

“Yeah you can’t exactly pass me off as ‘a friend’.”

“Nope,” Light agreed. “My sister would have a heart attack just from seeing your face.”

Ryuk looked like he was wondering what was wrong with his face.

“What do you plan to do about it?” Ryuk prompted.

Light sighed quietly, letting his limbs go loose. “Very soon, I expect the police will bug my house, Ryuk. That means video and sound recorders everywhere. I won’t be able to use the Note in the house, and we won’t be able to talk.”

“No Mario Golf?” Ryuk asked

“No Mario Golf,” Light confirmed. Ryuk looked devastated.

“It won’t be forever,” Light assured the Shinigami. “But for now, I need to find some place to hide the Note, where I can easily access it. I’ll keep a few pages in my room, but nothing significant. I was wondering if I could keep the Note out here, but it’s a little out of the way. It will do for now, at least.

“By now, L is staring to suspect people involved in the investigation. If he wants to catch Kira, he needs a confession from me, or the Death Note. One or the other.”

“Your dad’s the NPA’s chief of detectives, so you can use him to find out what the cops know,” Ryuk mused. “And that’s the advantage you were talking about if the cops start closing in…”

“Yup,” Light agreed. “I can even hack into my dad’s computer from mine without leaving a trail.”  _Not that I need to,_  Light added in his mind.  _But it never hurts to be doubly sure_. “So I can stay right on top of the investigation.”

“But why did you deliberately do something to make L suspect people involved in the investigation?” Ryuk pressed. “Isn’t it a lot worse to have him realise you have a link to the police than to have him think that you’re a student?”

“Very good, Ryuk,” Light said. “So you noticed that was strange. But you don’t have a very good understanding of human beings yet. Remember what I told you? About human beings being foolish, two faced creatures. The answer to your question is…I want to find L and convert him. If all I do is hide the notebook, I’m not going to find him, am I?” Ryuk nodded, agreeing that made sense. Light continued, “In human society, there are very few people who truly trust each other. That’s true even within the police... when it comes to the police and L, they don’t trust each other at all. Never have. Who trusts someone who keeps his name and face hidden from you?” Light shrugged dramatically. “Now that L knows I have access to task force information, he’s bound to look for me within the NPA. And when that happens, it’ll just be a matter of time before the cops get really mad. On the face of it, L and the police are working together to catch me.” He chuckled. “Well, I guess they actually  **are**  working together… But behind the scenes, L will be spying on the police and the police will be trying to track down L! So L is not going to be found by me. The police will take care of that part for me. I’m positive that the one who’s going to have the police closing in on him first is L, not Kira.”

Ryuk perked up at Light’s little speech and laughed happily. “You’re a weird one, Light. Why go to all this trouble just to convert L?”

“He’s worth it,” Light replied simply. “All good people are, Ryuk. It probably doesn’t mean much to a Shinigami, but for us humans, sticking together is all we have. If the good people band together against the bad, that’s when we will really all win, and make a new world, together.”

Ryuk chuckled at Light’s idealistic attitude. He had witnessed more of human history than Light could conceive, and he knew Light could never change the world. And yet, it was sure fun to watch him struggle against the weight of the world’s apathy.

Light smiled tightly as he stood up. “I’m going to hide the Note here, for the time being. Virtually no-one ever comes out this way, so the chances of someone digging up the Note are slim to none. I’d rather keep it closer to home, but it’s too risky.” Light leafed through the Note until he reached empty pages. He counted out ten sheets and gripped them tightly in one hand, bracing the Note’s spine with the other. He took a deep breath and tore the pages from the book in one fell swoop.

\- - - 

It was nearing Christmas time. It was six days since Light had hidden the Note at the warehouse, with such flair of studied insanity that he knew no-one would ever find it. Light had nearly broken a leg getting the Note where it now was, so he could relax knowing it was safe.

On this particular Friday afternoon, Light was walking back from the prep academy with Ryuk when the Shinigami broke their ‘no speaking in public’ rule. “Light, you got a moment?”

The hair on the back of Light’s neck rose.  _Could this be it…?_  “I told you, don’t talk to me outside my room...people can’t hear you, Ryuk, but they can hear me.”

“Yeah, I know. But I want to tell you this right now.”

Light kept walking, pretending he wasn’t listening intently to the invisible monster hovering over his shoulder.

“I don’t have anything against you, Light. In a way, I think you’re the best person who could’ve picked up my notebook. That’s because I have to stick around until the notebook’s finished or you’re finished. That is, dead. But…I’m neither on your side nor L’s side in this.”

Light’s gaze swung around to the Shinigami. Was that it? “I knew that, Ryuk.”

“So I’m not going to tell you that what you’re doing is right or wrong. I won’t say a word about that. But I will speak up once in a while as your roommate.” The Shinigami was basically grumbling at this point, obviously unhappy about whatever was going on.

“What’s up, Ryuk?” Light asked casually. “Why’re you telling me all this now? It isn’t like you.”

“What I meant was, what I’m about to tell you isn’t spoken as Kira’s ally, it’s just because it’s bugging me personally,” Ryuk chuckled.

Light was growing tired of talking in circles. “Just get to the point, will you?”

“I’m always hovering behind you so I noticed it right away. It’s really getting on my nerves. These last couple of days…” Ryuk looked ominously over his shoulder. “This guy’s been following every step you take.”

Light narrowly avoided flinching, though he couldn’t stop his eyes from widening in surprise. The FBI already? Light wasn’t sure if jumping for joy would be the appropriate response, but he was near to doing it. L was finally getting closer to him! Only one layer of go-between separated them. Raye Penber. Naomi Misora’s fiancé.

“He doesn’t see me of course but I feel like I’m being watched,” Ryuk continued with a shudder.

Light closed his eyes to keep a hold of his emotions. “Yeah that is a pain in the butt,” he told Ryuk quietly. “I’ll get rid of him for you really soon, Ryuk.”

Light was glad he’d stashed the Note early enough. If Penber had followed him out to the warehouse, Light really would’ve been screwed.  _Two days. He’s been seeing an ordinary college bound senior, that’s all. Or rather, a super serious college bound senior_.  _Really, how boring for L. Let’s give him something to think about, shall we?_

\- - -

When Light and Ryuk returned to the relative safety of Light’s bedroom, Light double-checked his door security to ensure the cameras and bugs hadn’t made an early appearance, and then sat down to chat with Ryuk. The Shinigami dropped a few knowledge bombs on Light; how using the Death Note differed between humans and Shinigami, and the Shinigami eye deal. Light acted like this was fascinating new knowledge and not old hat. He politely turned down Ryuk’s eye deal, explaining he needed every minute of life to ensure his utopia’s creation. Then he turned on Ryuk and scolded him for not telling him all this earlier. “You got anything else you ought to tell me in advance, Shinigami Ryuk? I’m not going to be hearing about any more rules or deals later, am I?”

Ryuk assured him that wouldn’t be the case, and seemed impressed that Light stood up to him so easily.

Light joked about wanting Shinigami wings, and Ryuk complimented him, saying he was already a ‘fine Shinigami’.

In his nightmare, following this conversation, Light had arranged the bus-jacking by Kīchiro Osoreda as part of his plan to kill the FBI agents following him. Since Light didn’t feel like doing that this time, he simply whipped out the Death Note pages he was keeping inside his yaoi manga inside his fourth hollowed out architectural encyclopaedia and wrote out the murderer’s name. He died of a heart attack, along with a hundred and twenty other criminals. Light had some catching up to do after the two 23 days after all.

\- - -

Christmas was fast approaching. Light had been the proud owner of the Death Note for nearly four weeks. He had cleansed nearly 2000 monsters from the world. People all around the planet were beginning to worship the name Kira. Light was on the righteous path of justice. He was doing far, far better than his nightmare predicted. Or remembered. Light wasn’t sure which it was, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Light still didn't know why he'd dreamt what he did, but he knew it was important to heed the warnings he had seen. Even a God could fall, could fail in the grand task that had befallen them. Light wouldn't make the same mistakes again, even if it meant doing things the hard way; playing the game closer to the chest than ever, even taking a few blows to his pride. He had been prepared to sacrifice his life and the lives of everyone that had ever mattered to him in his nightmare; the absolute least he could do this time was to let go of some of his pride.

Even if it physically pained him to do so.

Raye Penber was finally, finally on Light's tail. Light knew his name and face, and though he didn't remember the names and faces of the other eleven FBI agents very well, he knew he could easily use Penber to obtain them. Eliminating the FBI agents would be as easy as breathing. There was no need for any bus jackings or Naomi Misora's this time. And yet, Light had promised himself as he wrote Otoharada's name into his Note, that he wouldn't kill an innocent ever again. Not like in his nightmare. Light had to draw himself some strict lines, because if he gave himself any wiggle room, he knew he'd eventually turn that inch into a mile and he'd be right back where he started - or finished, at the prey end of a gun barrel.

Light's resolution was stronger than ever, as he surreptitiously watched Penber watch him. He would convince Penber he was innocent, and he'd do it in such a way that even L would have doubts that what Light was hiding was Kira as their story rolled on.

Just in case L did install cameras in his room, which he admittedly might never do, since he'd done it in response to the deaths of the FBI agents, and they wouldn't be dying this time, Light had taken to spoiling Ryuk while he still had the chance. Not that he really expected to make friends with the aloof Shinigami, but a few rounds of Mario Golf and a bushel or three of apples wouldn't go astray.

Light couldn't talk to Ryuk very much while Penber was following them, so it was a good time to wean the Death God out of the habit of chatting to Light at any old time. Every time Ryuk behaved well, he got an apple. Positivity was Light's new life motto. Positive reinforcement and optimism.  _You'd be surprised how far you can get with just that_.

In fact, to reinforce his attempts at friendship with Ryuk even further, he’d asked the Shinigami what he’d like for Christmas. Neither Light nor Ryuk actually celebrated the holiday, but the gift giving seemed like an innocent enough custom to observe. Plus Light liked teaching Ryuk about the human world. It occasionally encouraged the Shinigami to be more open about his own world.

Ryuk had, naturally, asked him for a Gameboy Advance SP, silver edition, because what else could a god of death want?

Light’s first thought was,  _That’s so expensive._  And then,  _well I’m not buying that stupid mini television so I have some cash to spare._

Tomorrow was Saturday. Light had a date to keep at Spaceland…and then the Nintendo store.

\- - -

It was nearing the end of the first week Penber had been tailing Light. Light doubted he'd keep following around the boring, straight laced, serious college bound student for much longer, so it was time to spice things up before he missed his chance. Light had some mixed feelings about his upcoming plan, but no number of butterflies would keep him away from his goal - teasing L.

It'd be like saying, 'Hey I'm hiding something right under your nose and you know it but can't prove it', all the time. Light grinned in anticipation of getting to hold that over L's head.

And so, goal in mind, innocence and mobile phone in hand, Light had called his school friend, Yamamoto, to meet him at the bus stop to go to Spaceland together on Saturday morning. Penber would be spying on them none too subtly as they adventured around the theme park. It presented the perfect opportunity for Light to give himself an airtight alibi for any future mysterious disappearances and for when he inevitably had to lie to L initially about being Kira (couldn’t spoil the game by spilling the beans before he’d converted the detective). L would think Light was hiding  _this_ , not Kira. At least, it would help create doubt in the genius’ mind.

Light would exploit even the tiniest shred of doubt in L’s mind. He’d keep him guessing right up until the big reveal.

With that lofty goal in mind, Light smiled warmly as he met Yamamoto as the bus stop.

Yamamoto had been surprised when Light had asked him out to Spaceland for the day, alone. He’d said as much to Light on the phone. And now, after they greeted each other, the first thing out of Yamamoto’s mouth was, “I didn’t think you were going out until after exams.”

He didn’t say it very loudly so Light doubted Penber had heard.

“I’m not,” Light said brightly. He stood purposefully close to Yamamoto, who blushed lightly beneath his glasses. Light turned the charm up to 100. “I’m just spending time with my oldest friend.”

“Y-Yeah,” Yamamoto answered. “Anyway, you heard the latest about Kira? Sakura TV thinks he’s some kind of government experiment gone wrong. And that L’s out to recapture him for them.”

“What?” Light laughed. “Some people think the strangest things.”

“Haha yeah,” Yamamoto said. “It sure is an exciting time to get into law enforcement. Your dad’s probably on the case, right?” Light raised an eyebrow at Yamamoto, silently shutting him up. “What are your thoughts on Kira?” Yamamoto tactfully changed the subject.

The bus pulled up and interrupted the conversation while Light, Yamamoto, Penber and one other civilian boarded. Once they were seated in the good seats towards the back of the bus, Light answered Yamamoto’s question, but carefully since Penber was right behind them.

“I think Kira’s heart is in the right place, but his methods are questionable. Who can operate righteously without a check and balance system?” Light philosophised. “It’ll be good when L catches Kira. The problem is, Kira’s smart. He won’t be easy to catch. That’s why we’ll need good police officers like you.” Light nudged Yamamoto playfully.

His friend grinned lopsidedly. “Don’t you mean detectives like you, Light?”

Light returned the smile, going for an ‘aw shucks’ expression. “I’m not a detective yet.”

“You’re the number one ranked student in the country. You’ll be in charge of the NPA by the time I pass the entrance exam,” Yamamoto said wistfully.

Light leaned into Yamamoto. “Nonsense. You’ll join right alongside me. We could even be partners.”

Behind the pair, Raye Penber was doing his level best to avoid looking at the lovey-dovey display, convinced he was misreading the situation.

It was an uncomfortable thirty minute bus ride.

\- - -

Raye Penber was a simple man. As a red-blooded American and an FBI Special Agent, he was quite the manly man. He liked to consider himself pretty forward thinking. He was engaged to a powerful and independent female former-FBI agent, after all. Certainly, he had encouraged her to quit her job to raise a family with him, but it wasn’t like he had forced her into anything. Naomi was a 21st century woman and she made her own choices. Raye just helped her go in the right direction. It was in this way, that Raye knew he was a progressive man. He respected feminism. He respected the law. And he respected family values. Such as how a teenager like Light Yagami wasn’t possibly capable of being the worst serial killer the world had ever known.

Raye hadn’t expected Light to be capable of  _this_  either.

Raye had followed the Yagami boy and his friend into Spaceland. Tickets were reasonably priced (which Yamamoto commented on, earning himself a playful nudge from Yagami), and the amusement had a surprising number of decent rides and quality food. Early in the day, Raye ticked Yagami off as innocent on his list, and started fantasising about bringing Naomi to the park for a date when the investigation was over. He had shadowed Yagami and his friend as they went on rollercoaster’s and various space-themed rides. Raye couldn’t very well get on the cramped rides with the young men every time, and so he often ended up hanging awkwardly by the ride’s exit, trying his damnedest to look like a father waiting for his children to get off the ride, and not a creepy stalker. As the only person in a trenchcoat in the entire park, Raye was finding this a bit hard.

Still, he had a job to do. And it wasn’t like his job was that bad, Raye mused as he snacked on a hot dog (not as good as an American dog, he judged) while following the boys into the space museum.

When the Great Detective L himself had requested the FBI send their top men to help his investigation, Raye had been proud to be one of the 12 selected. He was qualified in both investigative and language skills and he had performed surveillance in innumerable times during his early days in narcotics. He was perfect for the job, or so he imagined L had said when presented with his file. Raye would definitely find Kira, if he was among the people he was set to investigate.

The fact that he had to observe the Yagami’s first frustrated him to no end. The likelihood of Kira being in the family of the chief of detectives or the deputy chief’s family was so small, it was ridiculous. Still, they were boxes that had to be checked.

Raye patiently tailed Yagami and his friend for their whole day at Spaceland. They enjoyed the rides like normal teenagers, and laughed at the inaccurate space science on display like nerdy teenagers, and they stood strangely close to each other like…childhood friends! Yes, that had to be it.

The pair finished at Spaceland at around 1500, and departed the amusement on the same bus line as they had come in. They travelled further away from their own stop, however, which perked Raye’s dwindling interest for all of two minutes before their conversation made it apparent they were simply going further into the city to visit the Nintendo store. Why Raye was stuck watching two geeks act like they were in a sitcom; he had no idea what he’d done to deserve this punishment.

While silently bemoaning his situation (this was nowhere near as exciting as a drug bust or arresting serial killers; Raye was a man of  _action_ , after all), Raye absentmindedly noted the Yamamoto boy had taken Yagami’s hand in his own while they were seated closely on the bus. Yagami had looked around as if to check if anyone was watching, then leaned against Yamamoto’s side. Only a little, but Raye noticed, and marked it as another weird occurrence Yagami and his friend. Raye supposed he hadn’t a chance to observe Yagami with any of his friends up close before (spying on the teen at his school was harder than you’d think), so maybe he was just an affectionate boy. Some Japanese rebelled against the socially strict culture by being kawaii and emotional and touchy-feely…Raye had figured it was just the girls, but he supposed it worked for boys too. He was very forward-thinking, yes, to determine that.

Yagami and Yamamoto only let go of each other’s hand when they stood to exit the bus. Raye hopped off after them and tried to be subtle as he followed them up the block and into the Nintendo store. Again finding himself the sore thumb, Raye hung back around the Nintendo 64 display while Yagami made a beeline for the Gameboy Advance SP’s. Yamamoto commented loudly on the exorbitant price but Yagami laughed him off, saying playfully that if Yamamoto wasn’t blowing his weekly allowance on trading cards all the time, he too could have saved enough to buy one. Yamamoto had flushed and mumbled something Raye didn’t quite catch but sounded suspiciously like, “Just cause your Magic deck is perfect doesn’t mean everyone’s is.”

_What dorks_ , Rays thought as Yagami purchased the SP and three games.  _Hanging out on the weekend to buy video games. Pfft._ If Yagami’s Sunday was going to be anything like his Saturday, Rays would just stay in and have a day with his fiancée.

The boys went to a coffee shop after the game store and sat in a booth at the back. Raye sat in the booth that was furthest away but still provided a decent visual of the scene. The closeness he’d observed between the friends at the amusement park, on the bus and in the game store only grew more apparent as they sat, comfortably sequestered away from the rest of the world. They leaned towards each other across the table. Their hands rested close together on the tabletop, occasionally brushing. They were too far away for Raye to hear their conversation over the bustle of the cafe, but, whatever it was, it made Yagami look more relaxed than Raye had seen him all week. Hanging out with his childhood friend seemed to be doing the studious teen a world of good.

They finished their coffee and conversation, and Yamamoto his cake, by 1600 and were back out on the street. The boys decided to walk home, saying it would only take an hour or so and it would be pleasant in the breezy afternoon air. Raye agreed that it was exceptionally nice weather for so late in December, and regretted not being with Naomi on such a day. His shift finished at 1700 so he wasn’t too bothered though. He was nearly free of the Yagami boy and his boring life.

On the way home, Yagami and Yamamoto detoured only a cherry tree lined path, one that would have screamed date material if it were spring. But it wasn’t spring and Raye dismissed the thought. He continued dismissing such thoughts as the boys walked closer and closer together. Their arms bumped with each step and they swayed into each other. Yagami took Yamamoto’s hand this time. Raye felt his brain freeze as he watched Yamamoto stop them, turned Yagami and cup his chin, bringing his mouth to Yagami’s.

It wasn’t more than a moment before Yagami gently pushed Yamamoto away, his face turned down, auburn hair shading his expression. “Yamamoto, I… You know we can’t. What happened last time…”

“Light…” Yamamoto leaned in like he wanted another kiss. (Raye shuddered at the thought.) “I wouldn’t… Your dad would never find out, this time. I won’t mess up again.”

But Yagami turned his face away. “It’s impossible. I can’t afford to be with you right now. It would risk everything…everything I’ve been working so hard for. I’d be disowned or worse. Forget getting into the NPA…You too. It would ruin your life too.”

“No, Light, we can keep it a secret,” Yamamoto persisted. “No-one needs to know.”

Yagami’s shoulders hunched in. He looked very vulnerable in that moment. “I don’t want to keep secrets anymore.” He sounded…sad. Raye wondered how he’d failed to see this. “Besides,” Yagami straightened up and put on his game face, “I’m a man. You’re a man. It’s weird, isn’t it?”

Yamamoto shook his head ‘no’ but didn’t debate the point. He seemed to accept Yagami’s choice. He offered his hand to Yagami, a bridge across the chasm that had suddenly yawned between them. Yagami looked at the appendage, considering, and then slowly accepted it. A compromise.

Raye followed the boys home, mind in a fog. He was stumped by what he’d just witnessed. The Yagami boy was gay?! He was hiding it well. Raye hadn’t even had the slightest inkling the boy was hiding anything, let alone something this tremendously shocking.

Yamamoto dropped Yagami at his house, stealing a peck on Yagami’s cheek, before taking off. Raye paid him no mind, more focused on the play of emotions on Yagami’s face.

The boy looked wrecked.

\- - -

When Raye Penber’s report on Light Yagami was emailed to L’s laptop, the Great Detective could hardly believe his eyes. The teen was cleared of all suspicion according to Penber, which was good news for Light Yagami. And yet, Light had indeed been hiding something (not Kira, which disappointed L, because Light fit Kira’s profile perfectly even at a rudimentary glance). Penber had discovered the boy was gay. He had had some romantic past with a friend named Yamamoto, and this had escalated into some sort of conflict with Light’s father. Penber apologised for not having any further details, but stated that since it wasn’t relevant to the Kira Case, it shouldn’t matter. While L would normally concur, there was something about this revelation about Light Yagami that bothered him.

Not only did Light fit Kira’s psychological profile perfectly, he was hiding a life-altering secret with great success from those around him. If you omitted the details of what he was hiding…well, it seemed too good to be true. And, besides, L didn’t expect to stumble onto Kira so early in the game. It was probably good, too, for Chief Yagami that his son was only hiding his interest in men and not his interest in murder.

An unremarkable teenager, the report read. Yes but one with remarkable intelligence and one hell of a secret, L corrected. Yagami's son was certainly an interesting personality. But his love life had nothing to do with the Kira case, and so L put it out of his mind.

\- - -

End Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: some notes on how I’m writing the characters  
> (1) There are, in my opinion, two ways to view Light Yagami. He is either a cold, calculating psychopath, which is the easy and boring version, or a kid with a big heart who got in way over his head and drove himself insane trying to save the world. I prefer the latter version, because it makes for a very interesting and unique story. The former, well I could just watch Dexter if I wanted to see a serial killer using his ‘powers’ for good.  
> (2) Light had something of a Christmas Carol moment upon awakening from his nightmare. He realised he couldn’t be a total assbutt and still win. In order to really win as Kira, he needed to convert rather than kill his opposition. This means he’s consciously trying to tone his usual jerky mcjerkerson-ness. He still acts like the nerdy teen he originally was, rather than twisting his obnoxious traits like pride and mightier than thou attitude into Kira’s full blown god complex.  
> The thing is, 99 out of 100 times, when Light wakes up from that nightmare he’s still Kira. He just cleans house. Everyone who could ever pose him threat dies on day one. But this story is about that 1 out of 100 Light’s, the one where Light decides he wants to have his cake and eat it too. He’s using his second chance to affect some real positive change in the world. His ultimate end goal is to be god of the new world AND get to keep all his precious people. Now that’s optimism. But our Light is very smart. If anyone can pull it off, it’s him.  
> As for Misa, she will definitely feature in this story. I won’t go into details because, gosh, spoiler alert! But Misa, Gelus, Rem, and Beyond Birthday will all have featuring roles in the story. As will Raye Penbar and…Naomi Misora! Also, all the Wammy boys. Basically, dear readers, this story will go on a while, because there are a heck of a lot of loose ends to tie up before Light can even begin to get his happy ending. So please tuck in for the long haul, it’s gonna be quite the ride! I intend to update approx. once per week. Sometimes more, but hopefully never less. I do have a super intense exam period at university coming up fast so I mightn’t be able to update during that time, but I’ll be back for sure after the 15th of November.  
> (3) There is a lot of plot exposition manga chapters between Tailor and the next important moment in our story. I did my best to skip unimportant scenes, and th scenes that are partly transcribed from the manga are all subtly but importantly changed. Once we got to Penbar, things started to change up for real.


	4. Oh What Tangled Webs We Weave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light gets bored with waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a longer chapter for everyone! I ought to focus on my exams now, so probably no new chapter until after November 17th, so I thought, why not a long chapter now? Thank you to everyone who leaves such lovely reviews every time. You guys make my day with each comment.
> 
> There are a lot of flashbacks in this chapter. If it's confusing, please let me know and I'll reformat it somehow.

Chapter Four: Oh What Tangled Webs We Weave

\- - -

I'm not a fan of puppeteers,

But I've a nagging fear,

Someone else is pulling at the strings.

Something terrible is going down,

Through the entire town,

Wreaking anarchy and all that it brings!

The Living Tombstone,  _Discord_

\- - - 

“Who are you really, Light Yagami?” L questioned the image of the boy on his laptop screen. It was a live stream of the boy’s bedroom, although only from one camera angle as Naomi had insisted L leave the teen some privacy.

When L’s week had begun, if you’d asked him how it would go, he might have answered that he’d be busy investigating Kira or that if he was lucky he might even find the monster. He would never have expected to end up here, watching Light Yagami sleep.

\- - - 

…Six days earlier…

\- - -

Light hadn’t expected his outing with Yamamoto to turn into quite such a…date, for lack of a better term. Light had unfortunately outsmarted even himself with his plan. He had just wanted to put on a show - but an innocent one - for Penber, so the FBI agent would assume from Light’s closeness with Yamamoto that they were on a date. Nothing beyond hand-holding would be necessary. And, well, Light didn’t enjoy the guilty feeling he had when taking Yamamoto out. He knew his friend would accept any closeness because of their shared past, but he hadn’t wanted to lead him on. Light thought it was wrong to manipulate people’s emotions like that. He had planned out their entire day so they would appear as lovey-dovey as possible without actually crossing any lines with Yamamoto that would give him the wrong idea.

As it turned out, Light had anticipated everything but himself.

To Light’s horror, he had actually begun to enjoy himself while he was with Yamamoto. It reminded the auburn teen of simpler times; those easy days when they were just together - Yamamoto and his adorable dreams of becoming a police officer, and his above average intelligence; Light, basking in the glory of a like mind (even if it was a lesser mind. Light had been disappointed countless times when Yamamoto failed to understand something Light was philosophising on about, but despite that, he had  ~~loved~~  liked Yamamoto). Things were good for a time. Light had even dared to say he was happy, and a lot less bored than was usual…before Sōichirō had found them.

Those days, that summer in between junior high school and high school; those were Light’s halcyon days. When they had come crashing down, Light had genuinely not expected to ever feel anything even close to that level of good again.

Not until his Nightmare. Not until he had been gifted future memories of L.

Light lay awake in bed at night most nights, these days. Being Kira took its toll in his sleepless hours and his haunted dreams. But on the night following his date with Yamamoto, Light didn’t even touch his mattress. He stayed in his desk chair and inscribed the fates of nearly 300 into his Note, a new personal best.

Try as he might to distract himself with the duties of justice, Light couldn’t stop thinking about Yamamoto. Wondering what could have been, if this were a different world. A world where Light had never found the Death Note. A world where Yamamoto’s arms still seemed like the safest haven Light could hope to find. A world where his dad had never overheard, never discovered, never stopped…

\- - - 

It was an awfully muggy day even by Kanto standards, and Light had invited his oldest friend, Yamamoto, up to his room to share some watermelon in front of the fan. The boys were clad in shorts, barefoot; with Light in a t-shirt and Yamamoto in an unbuttoned short-sleeved shirt. They had had plans to meet the rest of their friends at the park to play soccer, but opted out when Light told Yamamoto the weather forecast. Light, at 14, was far more knowledgeable adult things like the news than his friend, even if Yamamoto was already 15. Yamamoto often told him how mature he was, how smart, and Light puffed up with pride a little at every thoughtless compliment.

“Good idea,” Yamamoto complimented Light as they lounged into front of Light’s floor fan. “Coming up here to eat watermelon,” he clarified as he took a large, unflattering chomp of fruit. Juice dribbled down his chin. He smiled at Light, and Light smiled back, watermelon forgotten on its plate on the floor.

Light had already calculated his next move to the nth degree of possible outcomes. Simple statistics told him it was a poor idea. The likelihood that Yamamoto would be receptive was next to none. The possibility that this would end their friendship, one that had survived Light’s every dramatism since they met in their first year of school, was enormous. Light couldn’t even say he was bored enough to justify a human experiment right now, because his father had him working on a difficult serial killer case involving mutilated birds and Picasso-esque interpretations of Christian angels, and that was plenty interesting.

So Light had no excuses nor reasons, but he felt it was the right thing to do. And Light trusted his heart.

He leaned forward, body bridging the heated space between them, and licked the watermelon juice off Yamamoto’s chin. His tongue traced back up the path of the droplet to Yamamoto’s mouth, and before Light knew it, he was kissing his friend.

The kiss was more of a gentle peck than anything, with Light pressing and moving his lips slowly against Yamamoto’s, as if testing the waters before diving in. Yamamoto was never one for caution or tests, and his mouth pressed back firmly against Light’s within seconds of the boy catching onto the fact he was being kissed.

Light gasped quietly at the reciprocation, and Yamamoto took the opportunity to lean forward and assume an assertive position. Light allowed himself to be tipped backwards, mindful of avoiding the messy plate of watermelon (it wouldn’t do to stain his clothes). Yamamoto followed him down to the timber floor, connected to Light the entire journey by the tangle of their lips. They lay in that position for a long time (27 minutes, Light remembered clearly, though  _of course_  he hadn’t been counting, because that would be rude). Yamamoto was braced over the top of Light, their bodies lightly touching in various places; knees knocking, chests brushing, mouths connected to mouths and to chins and ears and necks.

They didn’t lose any clothing that day, even though the heat would have justified it, and they didn’t proceed any further. When they parted, Yamamoto was flushed and pleased with himself, but didn’t comment on what had just occurred. Light sat up when the older boy moved off of him, and brushed his clothes straight. He offered Yamamoto a stern look, causing his friend to falter.

“What are we, now?” Light demanded to know.

Yamamoto ummed and ahhed for a time, eyes darting about awkwardly as he refused to meet Light’s intense gaze. He eventually chuckled weakly and scrubbed the back of his head. “I…don’t know. I guess…we’re…boyfriends?”

Light had accepted the answer at face value and redefined how he categorised himself in his head. He had a boyfriend now, which meant a loving relationship, which meant shared responsibilities, and life goals, and doing things together. He and Yamamoto already had most of that, so it wouldn’t be that much of a change. Light mused silently on the fact that this simple change in his relationship with Yamamoto was somehow more interesting than the serial killer case he was working on. Although, that being said, Light figured he had a suspect pegged for the case, while his relationship with Yamamoto was still new, undefined, and had so many possibilities. It was exciting, in a way Light hadn’t experienced before. He liked Yamamoto, and that meant he liked boys, so that was interesting enough as it was, but actually exploring the new aspects of their relationship together was its own kind of intriguing.

Light smiled at Yamamoto serenely and repeated, “Boyfriends.”

\- - -

Light had devised a plan. No, a scheme. No, a brilliant masterpiece of strategy! He was tired of waiting for L to make the next move. He had played some little games with the detective, of poems and dates, but now it was time for Light to crack out the big guns. A plan to rival any scheme of his Nightmare self’s. A plan so bold, so insane, L would never see it coming. He’d be blindsided, and Light bubbled with anticipation at the thought of L’s reaction to what he had planned. Light’s strategy was so crazy, it just might work.

Of course, he had his Nightmare to thank for the information necessary to carry out the plan, but the creation and ultimate success of the plan was all Light’s and not his Nightmare’s, he would thank everyone to remember. Although no-one knew he was silently competing with his Nightmare self apart from Light himself, so really he had no-one to brag to fully about the true genius of his plan. Except Ryuk, who knew about everything but the Nightmare. And Ryuk had nearly split a rib cackling over the plan when Light had told him in the sleepless hours near the crack of dawn on Sunday.

Kō Hashimoto was the key to this particular plan. The man was a monster if there ever was one, but he was a smart enough monster, and he’d do nicely for what Light had in mind. Light needed a man with police connections - easy since Hashimoto was actually a police officer - and a man with connections to the underworld - which Hashimoto also had in abundance. There was a good reason Light remembered him from his Nightmare and it stank of drugs, corruption, and Yakuza.

\- - -

Summer had sweltered on. Each day was a haze of humidity and hormones. Light spent nearly every waking moment with Yamamoto. They didn’t spend most of that time kissing, as Yamamoto always waited for Light to initiate anything, and Light more often than not forgot he was supposed to be making out endlessly with Yamamoto. He preferred using their time to discuss their summer reading project for Japanese literature class - the Tale of Genji - which Light had finished in a day, and Yamamoto had finished only when he begged Light to read it aloud to him. He wasn’t lazy, he insisted, just bad at kanji. To which Light had scoffed disbelievingly.

When Light ran out of things to say about Classical Japanese literature, he moved onto practicing criminal profiling techniques with Yamamoto. One of the main reasons the two got along so famously was their shared interest in solving crimes. (The others being Yamamoto’s tolerable intelligence and his ability to put up with Light being a snob occasionally (or a lot).) Yamamoto dreamed of being a detective one day, and Light encouraged him openly. He often thought how much more pleasant it would be to have Yamamoto as a partner with him than any other detective. The two would pick apart the cold cases to which Light’s father had graciously lent them access, and sometimes they would even manage to solve a case, just from the information in the files. Light’s solve rate (when he was interested in a case) was 100%. Yamamoto’s was 80%, which Light thought was adorable.

Even though Light kept most of their focus on the same topics as they had shared before they upgraded their relationship to ‘boyfriend’ status, he did allow ample time to test out the boundaries of their new situation. He enjoyed kissing Yamamoto. He found it peaceful when they held hands. When they became especially engrossed in exploring each other’s mouths, and Light inevitably ended up on a flat surface (usually his bed or Yamamoto’s or one of their bedroom floors, or, on one memorable occasion, the grass in the park under the stars), with Yamamoto curled around him and above him, he would feel excited. Trapped though he was, as the one receiving sexual attention as opposed to taking the initiative himself, Light found the experience freeing. He liked letting go, trusting Yamamoto to do right by them in this area. His friend had no more expertise than Light himself (so, zero) but Light was prepared to offer Yamamoto some measure of vulnerability. He never fully let go, always calculating something in the back of his mind, but the movement of electrical impulses in his brain died down to a quiet hum instead of a ceaseless roar when Yamamoto held him, and so Light let it happen again and again.

Light sometimes stopped to ask Yamamoto what emotion he was feeling. The older teen would usually stutter his way through an answer, uncomfortable with being asked such direct and personal questions.

Light stopped asking after a while.

\- - -

Raye Penber boarded the bus behind Kitamura’s daughter as she travelled to school on Monday morning. Light Yagami had spent Sunday in his home, alternately studying in his room and spending time watching dramas with his sister. The boy was so normal as to be completely boring, apart from that one queer blip, and Penber had reported such back to L. L had instructed him to skip over Sayu Yagami, and begin the investigation of the Kitamura’s. So here Penber was, on a bus full of school aged children, trying once again not to be a total creeper. It was harder to not feel like one this time, as Miss Kitamura was younger than the Yagami boy and a girl to boot. But Raye had a job to do and he wouldn’t complain.  _Out loud. I won’t complain out loud_.

By the end of the first day, the Kitamura family as a whole was turning out to be somehow even more mundane and boring than the Yagami’s had been. Raye couldn’t wait to get onto the more likely Kira candidates - the youthful policemen that he suspected were just ripe to be Kira.

He went home to Naomi that night, and managed not to complain out loud for all of an hour. She nodded understandingly along to his rant and offered him some advice at the end, “Why don’t you pretend like they are Kira, just for fun, and see what happens.” Raye had liked his fiancée’s idea and kissed her atop her hair as thanks.

Day two of Kitamura Watch was far and away more interesting, although not just for Naomi’s suggestion. Raye hopped on the bus with Miss Kitamura again, and imagined the young girl, unicorn bento box and all, was Kira. It was so implausible, it was hilarious. It kept Raye amused for most of the day.

But by the time of the afternoon bus ride back to the Kitamura house, Raye was bored again. The bus ride was as much of a killer as yesterdays. Raye yawned halfway through and had to fight to keep his eyes from drooping shut. The bus slowed to a stop to let a new lot of passengers on, and at the back of the crowd of junior high students was another man around Raye’s age. If Raye had been paying attention, he might have seen it coming, but as it was, he was as taken aback as all the school children when the man pulled out an Uzi 9mm and held it to the driver’s temple.

“This bus has just been hijacked, ladies and gentlemen!” the well-dressed and well-armed man declared. The driver gasped, and the bus lit up with the screams of terrified children. Apart from Raye, the driver and the hijacker, the next oldest person on the bus was 16.

“Shut up!” the hijacker snapped at the children. He didn’t brandish his gun at them, for which Raye was thankful. He was shocked that something like this actually happened in Japan. The FBI agents leaned forward in his seat, consternation on his face. He couldn’t very well stop the man; he’d give himself away to Kitamura! He could only interfere if the situation became truly dire. Hopefully the hijacker just wanted something simple…

“Hey driver, call the cops already would ya,” the criminal demanded. “It won’t work if you don’t.”

The driver nervously used the bus’ phone to dial the police. At the hijacker’s instruction, he explained the situation. The criminal snatched the phone off of the driver and said smugly into the receiver, “This is Daīchi Adani. I’m telling you that so you know I’m serious when I say that I have a bus load of children that I’m holding hostage until €10,000,000 is deposited into this bank account.” Adani rattled off a series of numbers then snipped, “You got that?”

He listened for a moment to the officer on the other end of the line, then growled in response, teeth barred, “No, you idiot, let me speak to your supervisor. Fuck, you’d think people would be trained for this shit,” he griped to the driver, who nodded quickly in agreement. Once Adani had been put onto someone higher ranked than the phone operator he had previously spoken to, he calmly repeated his demands. All the while, the barrel of his Uzi pressed menacingly into the driver’s neck.

Adani listened to the police lieutenant’s answer then sighed, “No, goddammit, can’t any of you fuckers do your jobs right. If you’re going to harp on like that, I’m just going to have to start killing hostages. How’s one every half hour sound, eh?” The gun was finally turned away from the driver to face the crowd of quivering children. The policeman on the other end of the line could be heard shouting, “No!” but Adani had already dropped the receiver and advanced down the aisle. He lazily scanned the crowd before his arm darted out and pulled a young boy into the aisle.

Raye nearly leapt out of his skin.  _If that man is going to hurt a kid…!_

Adani peered into the terrified face of the young teen. The boy trembled with fear, the gun pressed into his side. “Not your lucky day, kiddo,” Adani said without remorse. He pulled the gun up to the boy’s head, Raye sprung from his seat at the back, pulling out his own gun - and the boy, in a moment of sheer stupidity or pure genius, rammed his knee with all his might into Adani’s genitals.

The criminal dropped like a sack of rocks, releasing the boy, who scrambled away into the crowd of children willing to hide him. Raye forced his way through the sea of scared youngsters, and grabbed the Uzi from Adani’s slack grip. Adani, noticing his power being stolen, dragged himself up off the ground with a snarl. Raye produced his FBI badge in a flash and declared that Adani was under arrest, his Glock trained on Adani’s chest. Seeing how the tables had turned so suddenly, Adani dismissed Raye and screamed for the driver to let him off the bus. The driver was frozen in panic, so Adani pulled the lever himself and exited the vehicle…

…Right into the path of another bus.

The resulting crunch of bones and splatter of internal organs made a sickening sound that resounded inside the bus. A number of children began to cry in earnest, some of the students cheered, and a few began to submit Raye to a barrage of questions about his identity. In the ensuing chaos, Raye lost track of the Kitamura girl. The police came to take statements and calm the situation. A lot of kids hurried off, unwilling to get stuck talking to the police. Raye, trapped by his sudden reveal of his identity, was stuck explaining to the investigating police who he was, and why the FBI was there.

“So,” Officer Izaka drawled, eyeing the FBI badge Raye had handed him with suspicion, “an FBI agent was on this bus because…”

“The FBI is presently conducting an international investigation here in Japan,” Raye hedged, voice aiming for stern and superior, and landing somewhere around nervous. In his head, he was screaming at himself,  _Oh fuck, my boss is gonna tear me a new one! L- oh Jesus, L is going to kill me. What if I’ve ruined the Kira investigation?!_

Izaka hummed in vague agreement. “How did you know that a top liaison between the Yakuza and the Mafia would be on the bus today?” he pressed.

Raye’s eyes widened. Adani was a mobster?!  _That…was perfect_!

“And for that matter,” Izaka continued bluntly, “why would the FBI be investigating the Yakuza? That’s our jurisdiction you know and-“

“It’s a highly classified matter of national security,” Raye interrupted. “What I can tell you is that the investigation is being led by Interpol’s finest. The FBI is here to assist only.” Izaka looked sceptical to Raye added, “You can speak with my supervisors in the FBI and Interpol, if you want.” Izaka nodded, curiosity peaked. Raye pulled up Watari’s number on his phone and dialled it. “Hello, Watari, yes it’s Penber here…Yes, yes…I’m currently investigating that, yes…No, there is a problem. The local police here became involved in our investigation of the Yakuza and need to understand that the investigation is top secret and so they can’t spread any information about it or include it in their reports… Yes, thank you, I’ll put you onto him.” Raye held the phone out to Izaka. “For you.”

Izaka raised an eyebrow as he took the call. “Hello? This is Officer Izaka of District 20.” Izaka listened to the person on the other end of the line, eyes widening steadily as Watari explained the situation to him in his best no-nonsense voice. When he finished, Izaka nodded obediently, dumbfounded. “Yessir, I’ll- put you back on with Agent Penber and begin closing our investigation into the bus jacking. Thank you for your time.”

Raye wondered what on Earth Watari had told the officer.

Izaka held the phone out for Penber, who took it and raised it to his ear, listening with bemusement as Watari said, “It’s all taken care of, Agent Penber. I trust this won’t happen again?”

It was like being scolded by his father. Penber frowned. “It won’t happen again, sir. This was a freak coincidence. I should get back to the suspect now.”

“Thank you, Agent Penber.” Watari hung up.

Raye put his phone away with an exaggerated sigh. He thanked Izaka and his colleagues for their hard work, then headed off to the Kitamura house, in the hopes he could catch up to their daughter there.

\- - -

The novelty had worn off fairly quickly for Light. Yamamoto was…well, he wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box. It had been fine when there was a barrier called friendship between them. Light’s expectations had been minimal. The simple fact that Yamamoto seemed to enjoy it when Light after like his real self was more than enough to keep Light around. No masks. No pretending to be perfect. Light didn’t often make mistakes, but when he was with Yamamoto, he was allowed to if he wanted. Now that all barriers were gone between them, Light’s expectations had soared. He hadn’t meant for them to do so. It just, sort of, happened.

He wanted to engage with Yamamoto on an intellectual level. To be challenged, stimulated, his mind kept active and bright. Light felt dulled, trying to keep himself entertained with conversation about entry level criminology and psychology. He used to love teaching Yamamoto; it made Light feel somewhat superior, worthwhile, important… Now he just cringed every time he saw Yamamoto.

To get around this problem of not wanting to talk, Light did his level best to ensure there was no talking involved in their interactions. Yamamoto didn’t seem to mind. He was, after all, a teenage boy. Light understood they were supposed to have voracious sexual appetites. Light himself felt little of that. He supposed it was hard to get it up when you were bored out of your mind. Yet, he still tried. For Yamamoto’s sake. Light treasured the older boy dearly, and didn’t want to sour their relationship with his own trivial wants and needs.

Eventually, they started to misplace items of clothing during their make-out sessions. Light pretended like he had gotten swept up in the moment.

(And, sometimes, though he was reluctant to admit it to himself, he did indeed become swept away by the radiant love Yamamoto showered him with carelessly).

\- - -

When Raye has caught up to Kitamura, she had been safely tucked away at home, crying to her mother over the incident in the bus. Raye sighed with relief at the sight, and went right back to surveillance.

Later that day, when Raye passed his shift over to the next FBI agent, he returned to the hotel he was staying in with Naomi, utterly exhausted. It had been a long, at first boring and then far too exciting and then again boring, day. Naomi welcomed him home warmly, kissing his lips lightly, and Raye brushed by her to slump in the lounge chair.

“What a day,” he complained.

“What happened Raye?” Naomi queried, taking the seat opposite Raye’s. She didn’t comment on the fact that prior to his return, she had been sitting where he now was, with her cup of tea and current book still on his side of the table.

Raye picked up the tea, sniffed it, and sculled it. “Ugh,” he whined, “why do you always have so much sugar in your tea, Naomi? It’s unnatural.”

Naomi smiled serenely, memories playing in her mind. “No reason,” she answered. “So what happened today to make it so awful?”

“Well, you wouldn’t believe it,” Raye expounded, “but some psychotic Yakuza hijacked the bus I was on. He nearly killed a kid, and I had to stop him.”

Naomi sat up straight in her chair, brow creased with worry. “You didn’t reveal your identity did you?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” Raye grumbled. “It was either that or let the boy die.”

Naomi reached across the table and placed her hand on Raye’s arm. “You did the right thing,” she said reassuringly. “Did the suspect see your badge?”

“What? Of course he did, I was arresting him,” Raye said.

Naomi chuckled. “No, the Kira suspect.”

“Oh.” Raye thought hard. “No, I don’t think they saw. A lot of kids did see it, but I doubt any of them are Kira. They were all about 12 or 14 years old. Not old enough to be killers.”

Naomi didn’t argue that point either; she liked that Raye believed in the innocence of children, even if it was a bit naive. “What happened to the Yakuza man?”

“After I took his gun, he panicked and fled the bus,” Raye recounted. “Right into oncoming traffic. It’ll take them a while to clean up that mess.”

Naomi frowned. She stood and turned to look out the window over the nightscape of the city, thoughtful.

“What is it?” Raye pressed, watching her with concern. “You’re not thinking about the case again, are you?”

“Raye,” Naomi’s voice was a mixture of stern former-FBI agent and concerned fiancée. “The Yakuza man died, didn’t he?”

“So?”

Naomi spun around. “It’s too much of a coincidence. What if Kira was on that bus with you? They could have staged the whole thing, seen your identity and killed that man.”

Raye stood as well and clasped Naomi’s shoulders. “What did we talk about? You’re not to get involved with cases anymore. The only reason you’re here is to visit your parents in Japan, and so I can meet them.”

Naomi cast her eyes down. “I know, Raye, but-“

“No buts,” Raye scolded. “Besides, once we have a family, you’ll be too distracted to worry about serial killers.”

Naomi buried her face in Raye’s shoulder and hugged him to avoid confirming his words.

\- - -

“Light! Can you take your father a change of clothes?” Light’s mother stopped him on his way out the door. He smiled at her.

“Sure, mum, I’ll take it on my way to prep,” he replied, ever the dutiful son.

“Thank you~” Sachiko called after him, as Light bundled the clothes in his arms and set off down the street.

Phase One of Light’s Super Mega Ultra Get L’s Attention For Sure This Time Plan 2.0 had gone off without a hitch. The Yakuza liaison, Adani, had always been weirdly fond of Europe in Light’s Nightmare. He had been more than willing to hijack a bus of children and hold them for ransom to escape overseas, when given the right prompting.

Light’s dropped his free hand into his pants pocket, caressing the Note page he’d stashed there. Phase Two of his plan was already in action. Light had had to visit his father’s work last night - because Sachiko and Sayu had made him dinner, which Light may or may not have suggested they do, and Light may or may not have volunteered to deliver it. He had to visit again this morning because his dad was oh so forgetful and had left his work bag at home. It mightn’t have helped the rushed Sōichirō that he couldn’t find it anywhere that morning. Regardless, Light had kindly delivered the bag to him. And since Light forgot to take him a change of clothes at that time, he had to return in the afternoon to deliver some to his father. It was tragic really, how much Light was willing to do for his father.

And, if it just so happened that Light was increasing his percentage of likelihood of being at the station at the same time as Misora, well so be it.

He trusted the Misora of his Nightmare to be a sharp woman. She would figure out the clues from the bus jacking and go straight to L with them. Light hoped she would have trouble getting in, but either way, he wanted to be there to meet her on her way through. He had to present himself as innocent to her. Her word would count for something with L. So when Phases Three and Four of Light’s plan went into action, he would be suspected, but would have multiple people testifying his innocence. It was be a maelstrom if confusing contradictions for L. Light couldn’t wait to see what the detective made of it, if he could cut right to the heart of Light regardless of all his tricks and mirrors.

Light arrived at his father’s work as fast as his legs and public transport would allow. He had a solid two hours to kill before prep school, so he figured he’d hang awkwardly in the lobby until the last possible moment. He entered the building and walked up to the reception desk, politely announcing himself and that he had clothes for his father. The receptionist laughed, because it was Light’s third time here in 24 hours.

“What did the chief forget this time?” Yamada, the receptionist, chuckled. (Light finally remembered his name after coming here so frequently. He vaguely remembered the man from last year, when he helped his father solve the insurance money murder case.)

“Change of clothes,” Light smiled in return, sharing the joke. “I sign in here right?” Light signed the guest book.

“I’ll let the chief know you’re on your way up,” the receptionist advised. Light smiled, a little tightly this time, and glanced around the lobby, hoping against hope to catch Misora…

The front doors opened, letting in an icy breeze. A beautiful woman in a black windbreaker and jeans entered, her hair long and loose. She looked around the station, alert but not nervous. Light recognised her immediately.

Naomi Misora had entered the game. 

Light immediately turned to the receptionist and asked how his wife was. The receptionist, who had finished letting Chief Yagami know his son was on his way to the task force room, smiled the doe-eyed smile of someone in love and started talking about his wife’s new ikebana club.

Misora walked up to the reception desk and spoke to the other receptionist. “I have information concerning the Kira Case. May I please speak with someone on the task force?”

The receptionist asked for Misora’s name, which she gave as Shoko Maki, and asked her to take a seat and someone from the task force would be out to take her statement shortly. Misora frowned, knowing a police brush off when she saw one. “It’s important. I need to speak to whoever is in charge.”

 _You want to speak to L_ , Light realised. His countenance brightened immediately. It was even better than having her speak with his dad!  _Baby steps, Yagami,_  Light berated himself.

"My apologies, ma’am, but unless you can tell me what exactly this is about, you will have to speak with the officers in charge of taking statements. The chief investigator cannot come down to take everyone’s statements, you understand.”

“No,” Misora argued, “This is highly confidential information. I can’t tell just anyone.”

 _So she suspects someone on the task force_ , Light thought. _Good_.

“So, are you trying to solve the Kira Case too, Light?” Yamada asked Light, drawing his attention away from his sideways study of Misora.

“Sure am,” Light smiled like the cat that had gotten the cream. “If I’m on the right track, I may be able to beat L to it…”

Bait set. Misora looked at Light, eyes wide in surprise. Light pretended like he had only just noticed her standing there, staring.

“Hi,” Light chirped, channelling Sayu (no-one could make friends like Sayu). “I’m sorry but I couldn’t help overhearing you wanted to speak with the Kira task force? My father heads the task force investigating the Kira case. So, if you’d like, I can put you in touch with him.”

“Light! You shouldn’t be telling just anyone that..!” Yamada interrupted.

“It’s not like it’s a secret,” Light replied, with his best innocent, helpful expression.

Misora didn’t say anything in return.

“And, anyhow, I know I can trust this woman,” Light continued. “Her eyes tell me I can.” Misora still kept her silence. “Plus, she’s a very cautious person. The murder of Lind L. Tailor indicated that Kira may have some connection to law enforcement. It’s best to play it safe and speak to as few people as possible.”

The two receptionists were struck speechless. As was Misora, who continued to play mute.

Light produced his mobile phone from his pocket and said, “I’ll call my father for you. He can meet us here, or invite you up to the task force rooms. Of course, you have to trust my father, and me, or this isn’t going to work.” Light laughed brightly.

Ryuk, who had been shadowing Light quietly this whole time, wondering why the hell Light kept going to the police station, cocked his head in confusion.  _Who is this cheerful guy all of a sudden_?

Misora finally made a sound. She bowed to Light and said, “Thank you.”

Light dialled his father’s cell, and privately wondered at the guts it had taken Misora to come here, behind Penber’s back. “Hello, dad? It’s me…Yes, they did buzz me up for the clothes… Yes, there’s no problem… No, dad, wait please. There’s a woman here who has important information regarding the Kira case… No, I can’t send her to the normal officers; she needs to speak to you directly… Yes, I’m sure… No, I know, I’m sorry… Just, please, tell Yamada-san to buzz her up. We’ll keep it short. You should take a break anyway, you know how mum worries… Okay… Thank you. Goodbye.” Light hung up and returned to smiling at Misora. He hoped she wouldn’t notice it was a bit tighter than before, but she was an exceptionally perceptive woman.

Yamada’s phone rang, and he answered it politely. Chief Yagami snapped at him to let the woman up, and hung up. Yamada sighed and held out a visitor’s badge for Misora. She signed her false name into the visitor’s book, and followed Light to the elevator.

Light subtly glanced over his shoulder at Misora as often as possible. Her eyes were downcast, her hair forming a protective wall around her face.  _She obviously thinks she’s protecting Penber by coming here_ , Light thought with a touch of melancholy.  _If she only knew…_

The elevator bing-ed as they reached the right floor. “We’re here.” Light announced perfunctorily.

The trio headed into the task force rooms. Light, bright smile on his face as he greeted by name all the officers and detectives he knew. Misora kept her face as hidden as she could, offering a tight smile to the people Light stopped to see. Ryuk floated along behind the humans, bemused.

“Hey, Light,” he called insistently. “Light! Light-o~!”

Light’s shoulders tightened noticeably. “What was that?” he asked, seemingly to the officer who had just asked him how his exams went. The officer repeated the question, while Ryuk continued, “Why are we here, helping the people trying to catch you?”

“Exams can be tricky,” Light told Ryuk and the officer. “You have to think outside the box sometimes, to get to the final answer.”

“…” Ryuk scratched his feathered collar as he thought hard about it. “You’re helping the police to get closer to L… while at the same time, you keep killing as Kira and tormenting that FBI agent.” Ryuk grinned. “How interesting~”

Light tossed the officer a thumbs up in response to the wishes of good luck, but directed it at Ryuk.

The mismatched trio reached Sōichirō’s desk. The chief looked up from his mountain of paperwork and files, face pale from exhaustion. “Dad,” Light scolded. “You haven’t taken a break since I was here earlier, have you.”

Sōichirō managed a tired smile. “Nothing escapes you, Light.” He turned his attention to Misora. “Now, who’s your friend here?”

Light pulled his best ‘oops silly me’ expression out. “Oh dear, I forgot to introduce myself.” He bowed to Misora. “I’m Light Yagami. It’s nice to meet you.”

“….Shoko Maki, nice to meet you,” Misora said after a pause, voice clear and bell-like.

“This is my father, Sōichirō Yagami, chief of homicide,” Light introduced his father. Sōichirō raised a business-like eyebrow. Light shrunk a little where he stood. “Maki says she has something important to tell you.”

“…I think Kira can control a victim’s action before their death,” Maki announced, straightening with confidence with each syllable.

“Of course,” Light agreed. “It only makes sense.”

Sōichirō rolled his hand for Misora to continue.

“And,” she said, “Kira can kill through other means than a heart attack.”

“So can anyone,” Sōichirō rebuffed.

“She means like through making them a victim of a traffic accident,” Light leapt to Misora’s defence. Her eyes widened at the support. Light acted like he was getting swept up in the revelation, “That would change the dynamics of the case! Any suspicious deaths such as through unexpected illness or accident would be murders Kira wanted to hide. They would be related to him, perhaps even leading to his arrest!”

Light’s enthusiasm was brightening up Misora, but it hadn’t broken through the wall that was Sōichirō Yagami yet.

“What proof do you have?” Sōichirō pressed.

“…” Misora was obviously reluctant to out Penber.

 _Oh well_ , Light thought.  _My turn_.

“There was a bus jacking by a top level Yakuza yesterday,” Light told his father and Misora. Ryuk perked up at the mention of the incident. He’d seen Light writing furiously in the Note early yesterday. Was this what Light had orchestrated?

“The police were reluctant to say, but the media reports made it obvious, that the busjacker was no normal criminal,” Light elaborated. “He held a bus full of children hostage for just over ten minutes, and then leapt into the path of an oncoming bus. He died instantly. It was such a weird scenario that I took notice of it, and looked into it a bit further last night. The bus jacker was probably Daīchi Adani. He was an early potential suspect in the insurance murder from last year, dad, so I still had the files. The bus jacker on the news had looked familiar to me, so I checked it out, and it seems he was Adani. He was rumoured to have ties to the Italian mafia and the Yakuza. That he died in such a manner seemed strange, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. If what Maki says is true, it could mean that Kira knew Adani. He might have been trying to use Adani’s death to his advantage, or maybe Adani had discovered his identity as Kira and Kira silenced him.”

Light slammed his hands on his father’s desk and declared, “This could change everything, dad! This could break the case wide open!”

Sōichirō gently pried his son’s hands off his desk. Light settled back, head turned in embarrassment, cheeks red and breathe heavy from his impassioned speech.

Misora was again silent, but this time from genuine shock. This boy believed her?

“It’s certainly suspicious, that bus jacking,” Sōichirō hedged, “but it’s not proof. As far as Kira is concerned, he has only ever killed through cardiac arrest. If you find more evidence, Light, Maki-san, bring it to the task force. Otherwise, we need to focus on catching Kira with what we know.”

“But, dad-” Light protested.

“No, Light,” Sōichirō stopped him. “I’ll tell L about your hypothesis,” he conceded at Light’s puppy-dog eyes, “but don’t expect him to act on it.” He turned to Misora. “Maki-san, thank you for your time, but we don’t need amateur investigators. This case is too dangerous for you to involve yourself. Go home to your family.”

Misora bristled, obviously wanting to shoot down Sōichirō’s assumptions, but she somehow held her tongue. Light silently congratulated her strength of will. She wouldn’t destroy Penber’s career but outing the FBI presence, even though she thought he was in danger.

“Can you please tell L that the woman he worked with in Los Angeles came up with the hypothesis, as you put it,” Misora requested tightly.

Sōichirō raised an eyebrow but conceded.

Light bid his father farewell, and Misora offered a terse parting statement. Ryuk waved at the chief as the trio started away. Of course the elder Yagami couldn’t see him, but Light could, and he rolled his eyes at Ryuk, causing the Shinigami to grin wickedly.

“Hey, Lighto,” Ryuk drawled as Light walked Misora out of the building. “That was a nice speech back there. Even I’m starting to believe your innocence.” He chuckled at his own joke.

Light smiled in amusement. “Just you wait and see,” he told Ryuk out loud. Continuing with Misora like he had meant the comment for her, Light added, “They’ll come around.”

“Maybe,” Misora said. “Chief Yagami seems like a logical man.”

Light swallowed a scoff and ended up coughing. “Yes, you could say that. Dad is very good at his job, but he’s a bit stubborn sometimes.” And now for the big guns. “Not like L.”

That caught Misora. “L?” she all but gasped. “You know L?”

 _More than anyone else_ , Light thought with bitter irony.  _L doesn’t even know who I am right now_.

“Not personally,” Light admitted, expression sheepish. “My dad talks about him a lot.” It was half a lie. His dad used to talk about the World’s Greatest Detective before the Kira Case. “L sounds like one of the most brilliant people on the planet. If anyone can find Kira, it’s L. He’s the only one stubborn enough, too.”

Misora giggled. Light startled at the actually feminine sound coming from the tough as nails woman. She was smiling, a genuine thing. Light had never seen happiness on her, not now and not in his Nightmare. 

He couldn’t help but think it suited her.

“What’s so funny?” Light presser gently, lips curling up with amusement.

“I met L once,” Misora admitted, surprising Light. “He’s a special one.”

 _You can say that again_ , Light thought.

“You met L?” Light said, jaw dropping in awe. “He’s basically my hero. I’ve always wanted to work on a case with him. To meet him…That would be unbelievable.”

Misora smiled warmly at Light.  _Maybe she actually likes me,_  Light thought suddenly, amazed. Had he accidentally made a friend? It wasn’t like Misora was unintelligent…and he’d probably be seeing more of her anyway, so it wasn’t exactly inconvenient to be friends…

“Maybe I can introduce you sometime,” she said. Then she sighed, “If he ever hears my information, that is.”

“He will,” Light reassured her. They had reached the exit at the front lobby. It was all or nothing now so- “Hey, I know we just met, but I thought your thoughts into the Kira Case were very insightful…If you ever want to talk about the case again, here’s my number.” Light handed Misora a business card. He had a few, from his previous work on homicide cases, which simply read his name and phone number.

“Thank you, Yagami-san,” Misora said, taking the card with a shallow bow. “I might take you up on that.”

“I’m sorry my dad wasn’t more receptive,” Light said.

“Don’t be,” Misora said. “It’s a fairly crazy idea, to think Kira can kill however he wants.”

“It’s not crazy at all,” Light argued softly. “After all, Kira kills with psychic heart attacks. It’s not such a stretch to think he could psychically throw a bus at someone.”

Misora reached out and squeezed Light’s arm gently. “Thank you. It’s nice to know I’m not the only crazy one. Goodbye, Light Yagami.”

“Until next time, Shoko Maki,” Light replied. Misora ducked her head and walked off into the snow.

\- - - 

School was due to start again in three days. They would be the longest three days of Light’s life. Not that he knew it going into the fourth last day before the new school year.

Like most days in summer, the Thursday was being spent by Light with Yamamoto in a bedroom. Light’s room today, as Yamamoto’s younger brother had commandeered Yamamoto’s room for a group sleepover, video game night extravaganza. Light had been tempted to invite himself along, because  _damn_  but did Yamamoto’s little brother have good taste in games, but had refrained because Yamamoto wasn’t big on spending time with his sibling. Light personally didn’t understand that attitude, because he doted on Sayu.

In the end, the duo had wound up in Light’s room, doing what they did best these days. No longer was it cold cases that occupied their minds, but the exploration of each other’s bodies. It had been a whole season of being together. The boys hadn’t advanced to any below the waist groping nor clothing divestiture, but apart from that next step in sex, they had done everything they could possibly think to do and then some. Light had found he was pretty into it if he made a game of it. He counted blemishes on Yamamoto’s skin, or subtly tickled him until he earned a reaction, or teased him gently, breathlessly, as Yamamoto kissed up and down Light’s bare chest.

It was one such scenario, shirtless and pants-less, down just to underwear, with Light teasing Yamamoto about the small mountain of summer homework he had left to do before school came back. Yamamoto paused momentarily in his ministrations to shoot Light a glare. Light smirked, and then snapped his head back with a gasp when his friend sucked just right on a stop on his neck.

Things were good. Light, despite himself, was happy.

Until the bedroom door opened.

Tomorrow, Light would install a lock on the door. But for today, the only lock in place was the unspoken policy of privacy the family had. Closed door, do not disturb. It wasn’t like Sayu ever listened.

“Hey big brother, can you help me with my English homework? I don’t get it; it’s such a stupid language- Oh.” Sayu stopped mid-rant in the doorway, staring wide-eyed at the unmistakeable position her brother was in. Yamamoto flinched and froze, but Light shoved him off. His friend rolled across the bed and Light whipped his discarded shirt over himself to claim some modesty back.

“Sayu! What are you doing in here?” Light hissed.

“Homework?” she held up the paper as proof. Light looked at it, then at Sayu, and then back again, and started laughing, a tad hysterically.

“Um, Light?” Sayu looked worried. She’d never seen Light break down like that. “It’s okay. I’m not going to tell.” Light couldn’t stop himself, his heart racing, mind, for once, not. “It’s nice that you have a boyfriend,” she tried. “Like a normal teenager.”

That finally shut Light up. Yamamoto took up the conversation with Sayu, “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” Sayu grinned. “I didn’t think my brother was capable of liking anyone before this, so this is good.”

“Uh-huh,” Yamamoto drawled. “Would your parents think the same way?”

Light flinched. “What-?!”

“Probably,” Sayu said, noncommittally.

Yamamoto gained a thoughtful expression, so Light punched his shoulder harder than he normally would. “Ow,” Yamamoto complained, rubbing the assaulted area. “What was that for?”

“Don’t even think about it,” Light commanded. “I know you’ve wanted to be honest about our relationship with our families for a while now, but you know how that will go over with my parents. So don’t. Even. Think. About. It.”

Yamamoto held his hands up in surrender. “I won’t, I swear.”

Light nodded, appeased. “Now, Sayu, what did you need help with?”

She hopped onto the bed and dropped the English homework on top of Light’s shirt which lay across his lap. He picked up the paper and scrutinised it for all of five seconds. “This…is basic grammar. I thought we’d gone over this last term.”

“We had,” Sayu admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. “I, well, sort of, maybe…forgot?”

Light rolled his eyes. “Oh my gosh, your brain is like a sieve,” he said fondly. “Let me get dressed and we’ll work on this in the living room, okay?”

“Yay!” Sayu cheered as she hopped off the bed and skipped out of the room.

Yamamoto gave Light a disappointed look. “You’re going to help her?”

“Why not?” Light asked, standing and stretching out the cricks in his back.

“She’s using you,” Yamamoto complained. “You shouldn’t baby her like that.”

Light shot him a glare as he selected fresh clothes to wear. “Not that it’s any of your business what I do with my sister,” Light snapped, “But we happen to love each other. Unlike you and Ken.”

Yamamoto scowled, fists clenched. Light thought it looked adorable, what with his being mostly naked, glasses askew. “Say that again,” he growled.

Light rolled his eyes, less affectionately, because he was starting to get annoyed. “Just, leave it be,” he ordered. “Go home or something if it bothers you that much.”

Yamamoto angrily gathered up his fallen clothing and stuffed his legs back into his pants. “Maybe I will!”

“Maybe you should,” Light returned coldly. Now dressed, he swept from the room.

\- - -

Naomi returned to the hotel room she was sharing with Raye, more than a little disheartened. She would have liked to have pushed her point at the police station, but couldn’t do so without making it obvious why the FBI and, by extension, herself were in Japan. To her surprise, the nice boy who had helped her get in had listened, and then went too far as to support her theory. He had seemed like a smart kid, with a good heart. He’d make a fine detective one day, Naomi was sure.

She hadn’t told Raye her plan beforehand, because she knew he’d talk her out of it, but she had resolved to tell him after the fact. He had dismissed her theory much like Sōichirō Yagami, but now that she wasn’t the only one thinking it, she wanted to try to convince her fiancé again.

She pulled the business card Light had given her out of her pocket and saved the number in her phone while she waited for the elevator to take her to the right floor. It had been serendipitous indeed that Light Yagami had been there at the same time as her. She might never have been able to get word through to L, otherwise. For even if Chief Yagami ignored her theory, she knew L would listen.

Feeling a bit lighter hearted, Naomi exited the elevator with a spring in her step. Raye would be angry with her, no doubt, but she was excited to be back to doing what she loved best and no-one was about to bring her down.

“I’m home,” she called when she opened the hotel room door. The apartment was dark, which struck Naomi as odd, but maybe Raye wasn’t feeling well? “Raye?” She switched the lights on, revealing a terrible scene.

There was no sign of Raye Penber, but there were ample signs of a struggle. All the furniture was overturned and the bed was askew. A glass lay shattered on the floor, water pooling. Raye’s gun holster was next to the bedside dresser, having presumably been resting there before the scuffle.

Naomi observed the scene for mere moments before darting to the kitchenette and taking a large knife from the drawer. Now armed, she stealthily made her way to the ensuite bathroom, and swung open the door. The room was undisturbed. Not a moment to waste, she returned to the main area, and checked the walk-in closet and under the bed. All clear.

She slid the knife into her jeans pocket and pulled out her phone. She dialled the police and reported the probably kidnapping calmly, channelling her days under immense pressure at the FBI to narrowly avoid having a breakdown. Once the police said they were on their way, she dialled one more number.

“Light Yagami?”

“Yes?” a sleepy voice replied.

“Kira took my fiancé. I need your help.”

\- - -

Light hadn’t spoken to Yamamoto since their fight yesterday. He refused to apologise for defending Sayu. Yamamoto would have to come crawling back to him, not the other way around.

Light was lounging around on his bed, reading his collection of Junjou Romantica for the second time today. He was bored. So when his phone rang, he sat up excitedly and answered. “Hello?”

“Light! Good news,” Yamamoto said brightly, like they had never fought.

“Oh?” Light questioned, mood souring but still curious.

"Yeah, yeah, Light, I told my parents about us, and they were totally fine with it!” Light felt his heart stop. It was an awful feeling. “See? I told you we had nothing to worry about.”

“Yamamoto,” Light said, voice dead. “Do you understand what you’ve done? I know you are upset with me, but this is cruel beyond what the situation called for.”

“What?” Yamamoto was shocked. “I don’t understand, Light, what do you…”

“You’ve ruined us,” Light told him quietly. “Your mum will tell my mum, and she’ll tell my dad. Neither of my parents will be fine with this. You’ll be lucky if I’m even allowed to see you after this.”

“What?” Yamamoto repeated, stunned. “But, I thought-”

“You thought wrong,” Light snarled and hung up.

He sat on his bed, trembling. He did not want to leave his room and face the music. His parents were downstairs, enjoying a rare Friday afternoon off for Sōichirō. Light knew it would lessen the blow if they heard it from him and not Yamamoto’s mother.

He felt like he was going to throw up.

Mustering together all his inner fortitude, Light headed downstairs. He froze in the doorway to the living room as he came into the line of his father’s glare.

“Your mother just got off the phone with Mrs Yamamoto,” Sōichirō said. “Do you care to explain yourself?”

Light took a deep breath. “It was a mistake,” he tried. “A phase.”

Sachiko came over to him and embraced him. “I told you dear, a phase. Boys go through it sometimes. Our Light is still our Light.”

Sōichirō did not look convinced. “Light, you need to stop seeing that Yamamoto boy. You cannot see him unless you are at school or with other friends. If I find out you have shamed our family again…”

Light nodded, eyes downcast. “Yessir. It won’t happen again. I don’t…like boys…like that.”

“Good.” Sōichirō came over and clapped Light on the shoulder. “You’re still my son, Light. Now, about that case I gave you…”

Light smiled hollowly and answered his father’s question. He ate dinner with his family, and explained the situation to his sister later that night in a subdued voice.

In the intervening years, Light would sometimes find himself wondering about what might have been. If he hadn’t allowed that day to escalate into a fight, if he hadn’t allowed Yamamoto to go home upset, seeking comfort and reassurance from his parents… If Light had been smarter, had kept better control of the situation, things might have been different.

It was these thoughts that haunted him, even years later, and brought a hunted look to his eyes after their date at Spaceland, he watched Yamamoto walk away.

\- - -

End Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So cliffhangers! Yay?
> 
> The teaser with L at the start of this chapter will be resolved by end next chapter. It's kinda like a two-parter chapter?
> 
> Thanks for reading~ Hope you enjoyed it!


	5. There’s Something About Light Yagami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light and L finally meet...and it's good for all of two seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I finished my exams and wrote a 12,000 word chapter which is now two chapters for ease of digestion!
> 
> Firstly, I wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who leaves a comment and everyone who leaves kudos. You guys are awesome~
> 
> My dear reviewers are also very smart! People have asked some very smart questions down in the towel section, which I encourage everyone to check out. I always try to respond to all reviews so if you ever have a question or comment, please feel free to go ahead and leave a review.
> 
> I’d like to highlight two of my reviewers.
> 
> Firstly, Yuna! They noticed Light’s extra secret hidden clue in his messages to L. If anyone else gets it, I’d love to know. Light was being very bold. Light will reveal the answer himself eventually in the story so don’t worry if it’s not obvious.
> 
> Next, Somebody asked “how Light was able to deduce a time when Penber would be in the bus following that girl, and use the deathnote to stage the hijack?” To which I replied: “Most of Light's Nightmare info is straight canon, but Some of Light's Nightmare content is stuff I'm assuming. He had a span of years between killing L and facing Near+Mello to check up on things, and I think he would have, being the curious and easily bored guy he is. Certainly the Kira case data was erased when Watari died, but I don't think it would have been impossible for Nightmare Kira to uncover the where's and whys of Raye Penbar. The Penbar-Misora's incident seems like an important one that would have stayed with Light, even years on. After all, they were his biggest risks. So he might have wanted to look back on it, and figure out where he went wrong. Cause he knew he did, since cameras and bugs were installed in his house immediately after Penbar's death. I thought it was plausible that, having assumed the title of L, Light could have gone via the FBI's own files to find the truth about Penbar. Alternatively, although less likely, he may have even found out during the Yotsuba Arc. Presumably, the dememoried-Light would have wanted to know all the evidence against him as Kira, and the fact that Penbar had only investigated Light and Kitamura's daughter by the time of his death was one of the biggest pieces of early evidence suggesting Light was Kira.  
> Therefore, I hypothesised that through either nostalgic research or in an attempt to prove his own innocence, Light could have conceivably found out that Penbar trailed Kitamura's daughter after he was done with Light.  
> As to the bus, it wouldn't take more than a day of observation to figure out a school kid's regular bus home. Light, being far more sneaky than Penbar, followed Kitamura's daughter (or bribed Ryuk to do so, I haven't quite decided, but it would take a heck of a lot of apples so, maybe not) on Monday, and had his plan set by Tuesday. He put it into motion using specific Note instructions that were just vague enough to allow for random errors. He used Adani, because he was somehow he could conceivably know about without his Nightmare memories, which is important for both presenting his innocence and guilt to L.”

Chapter Five: There's Something About Light Yagami

\- - -

I need another story  
Something to get off my chest  
My life gets kinda boring  
Need something that I can confess  
Til' all my sleeves are stained red  
From all the truth that I've said  
Come by it honestly I swear  
Thought you saw me wink, no  
I've been on the brink, so

One Republic,  _Secrets_

\- - -

Light had hardly slept a wink in days, so by the time he returned home from prep school after dropping his dad’s clothes off at the police station he was bushed. He dropped face-first onto his bed, fully clothed, and groaned.

“What’s wrong, Lighto?” Ryuk teased, sprawling out along the floor. He lay on one side, head propped up on his hand.

Light peered at Ryuk, reluctantly moving his head to do so. “It’s a lot of work, being me,” he stated. “Between writing in the Note every day, school, prep school, and getting L’s attention, I don’t think I’ve stopped thinking at full-tilt in weeks. It’s…great, actually.”

“Oh?” Ryuk chuckled. “You’re a weird human.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Light dragged his guts up off the bed. He grabbed his stash of apples out from desk drawer and tossed Ryuk the entire bag. “Here you go. A thank you for playing along with me.”

Ryuk immediately crunched into an apple. The fruit disappeared in seconds. “Not a worry, Light. You’re pretty fun to be around.” He bit into a second apple.

Light smiled, crooked and fond, at his weird Shinigami. He flopped backwards onto his bed with a yawn. He was just getting comfortable, and debating mildly the pros and cons of getting up to shower, when his phone rang.

_Already_? Light grumbled nonsensically as he searched about in his jacket pocket for his phone. He found it and answered, already half-asleep.

“Light Yagami?” came an urgent feminine voice.

“Yes?”

“Kira has taken my fiancé. I need your help.”

“What?!” Light shot upright. “When?”

“When I was at the station, I’m not sure,” Naomi informed him hurriedly. “I came back to the apartment and it was a wreck. Someone took him.”

“I understand,” Light replied swiftly, fighting off the last dregs of sleep. “Take a deep breath and think, who would want to harm your fiancé?”

“Kira,” Naomi said instantly.

“No-one else?” Light prompted.

“No,” Naomi took a deep breath and then said, “Can you meet me? What I need to tell you, I can’t over the phone.”

Light raised an eyebrow. “Of course. Where?”

\- - -

Light met Naomi where she had specified; a train station near his father’s work. He had bundled up against the snow and headed out into the storm, disregarding the late hour and the definite possibility that he wouldn’t be getting any sleep, yet again.

“Maki-san!” Light called, spying the woman reclining tensely against the station wall.

Her head snapped up, eyes immediately finding Light’s. Her eyes were red, but dry. She was keeping herself together exceptionally well. The fear she must be feeling… Who knew what Kira might be doing to her fiancé, even at this moment?

_Well_ , Light thought,  _someone knows…_

His gaze swept up to Ryuk, who was dozing as he floated along behind Light. He’d instructed Light to wake him up when something interesting was happening, and promptly drifted off. Needless to say, Light was a bit envious.

He turned his attention back to Naomi. “Thank you for meeting me,” she said to Light quickly. He reached out for her hands and brought the pair up to his face.

“No gloves,” he commented, rubbing some warmth into her frozen fingers. He released her hands and pried off his own gloves. “Here.” He pressed them into her hands. “We can’t find your fiancé if you freeze to death.”

Naomi tugged on the gloves. “We won’t find him at all, if Kira has him,” she said, matter-of-factly.

“Don’t think so negatively,” Light told her. “Kira hasn’t abducted anyone before, so there is a good chance your fiancé is still alive.”

Naomi nodded, her gaze dropping to her now gloved hands. She sighed, and then stared determinedly at Light. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you, Yagami-san.” Light frowned like he was confused. “My name isn’t Shoko Maki, it’s Naomi Misora. My fiancé, Raye Penber, works for the FBI. He’s here investigating Kira’s connections to the police.” Light’s eyes steadily widened. “The fact that he disappeared now, after that busjacking, means it was definitely Kira.”

“Penber was on the bus?” Light deduced. “…You’re right; Kira definitely took him. It’s likely the busjacking was staged just to kidnap your fiancé. He must have been getting close to Kira, or one of the other FBI agents was – because I’m sure I can assume there are more agents than just your fiancé here – Someone came close to uncovering Kira. Do you know if anything has happened to any of the other agents?”

“No,” Naomi said. “Regardless, they are investigating the police. I can’t destroy the investigation by letting the NPA know they are being investigated…”

“…” Light glanced away. “I understand. We can go to my father. He’ll understand it was necessary to bring in someone other than the NPA to investigate the NPA.”

“No!” Naomi grabbed Light’s arm. His eyes widened in genuine surprise. Naomi was certainly determined. “We need to go straight to L. He’s the only one who can help.”

Light let out a shaky, breathless laugh. “L?” He ducked his head to hide his expression. Behind the curtain of his hair and the barrier of his jacket collar, Light was grinning from ear to ear. “You want us to break into the NPA, find the computer linked to L, hack it, and talk to the World’s Greatest Detective? Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Naomi confirmed, voice pained and serious.

Light composed himself, and met her with a serious expression of his own. “Let’s do it,” he agreed. “I’ll get you to L.”

\- - -

Light smiled and waved at the receptionists as he held the door of the police station open for Naomi. She slipped inside, acting casual. Light took them to the desk, and chatted to the receptionist. Yamada had gone home, which made it more difficult. But Light had faith in his charms.

“Honda-san,” Light greeted brightly, pulling the name out of the recesses of his memory. “How’s the family? Your son must be in school by now, right?”

Honda beamed. “Sure is. He started last year. He’s having a great time.”

“Good to hear.” Light signed his name in the book, and gestured subtly for Naomi to do the same.

“Here to see Chief Yagami?” Honda queried, eyeing up Naomi. Naomi smiled disarmingly at him.

“Yes,” Light said. “I’m dropping off his toothbrush.” He leaned across the desk in a conspiratorial fashion. “And, to tell you the truth, I’m going out on a date afterwards. I wanted to show Nao-chan the station. You know how chicks love detective stuff…”

Honda eyed Naomi up. He gave Light an impressed look. “Nice,” he whistled lowly.

Light held back the disgusted expression he wanted to wear, and grinned instead. “Thanks. We’ll be out shortly.”

Light looped his arm around Naomi’s waist, who thankfully went along with the ploy. They went through security, standing close together to keep up the ruse. They stepped apart the second the elevator doors closed.

“Sorry about that,” Light said quickly. “I said we were together, so they wouldn’t think anything about you coming in too.”

“I figured,” Naomi said, with a wistful smile. “That’s how Raye and I met.”

Light quirked a brow. “Well, I’m not proposing to you any time soon, so…”

Naomi laughed out loud, catching herself after a moment as the sober situation caught up to her once more.

They stood together in quiet contemplation as the elevator took them to their destination. Light was grateful that, with the hour so late, most of the task force would have gone home. A few dedicated souls like his father would be ghosting around the office, but Light was confident they could avoid them.

The elevator let them out into the task force rooms, and the pair set off to try to find the computer linked up to L. They walked at a normal pace, trying to act like they were meant to be there. Naomi whispered to Light, “L usually connects through a laptop guarded by Watari. If we find Watari, he’ll remember me and we can connect to L. I doubt he’ll have left the laptop lying around by itself, but that would work too.”

_Watari_ … Light thought. He’d nearly forgotten the elderly man. He would be the perfect way to get through to L.

“Right,” Light confirmed. “We should split up, cover more ground.” Naomi nodded and headed off to explore the right side of the computer filled room. Light headed off to the left, eyes scanning for Watari’s familiar shadowed form.

Light observed his half of the room carefully. The task force main room was thankfully empty. Of the dedicated stragglers that remained, there was only Matsuda (asleep at his desk, face glued to casework) and Light’s own father…somewhere. The fact that his father wasn’t immediately apparent at his own desk was setting off Light’s instincts. On high alert, Light continued to check each desk for the laptop that would finally, after all this time and effort, connect him with L. Or he’d find Watari; the end result would be the same. (But Light figured he would be easier to spot, so concentrate on the laptop.)

As he searched, Light allowed part of his mind to wander, to fantasise about L. Light was so close to him now. So close…and yet so far from his goal. Convincing L that Kira’s was the righteous path, that Light’s Justice was superior, would take mental acrobatics the likes of which his Nightmare self had never dared. But Light was confident in his abilities. He had never failed at anything he had put his mind to doing in his life (Nightmare notwithstanding). He wasn’t about to start now. So he let himself dream. L would make such a nice Prince, Light mused; ruling at Kira’s side, an equal, finally. Years of searching for someone to connect with, and here he was. Spindly limbs, tanuki eyes, a bird’s nest for hair, vampirically pale skin, and a mind like a razor, like the deep blue sea, like a nebula. Light could picture L’s form perfectly in his mind’s eye, feel his name tingling in his fingertips.  _L Lawliet_.

It was obscenely late on Wednesday night. Glancing at his watch, Light saw the night had slipped into Thursday. He hadn’t slept hardly a wink since Friday night. He’d taken four painkillers before he left the house to meet Misora. His head still ached. But, thinking of how close he finally was to meeting the man who would bring life into his dull world, Light felt a burst of energy, more than enough to keep him going.

That laptop had to be around here somewhere…

The door to the side hallway swung open and Light dropped to the ground like a puppet with his strings cut. Sliding under the desk in front of him for maximum coverage, Light swore internally. His father had just entered the room. How was Light supposed to find L now?! He silently prayed to the universe to compel his father to  _go home_  for once in his life.

He watched from under the desk as his father yawned widely, rubbed his eyes, and toddled off to find the coffee machine. Light breathed a sigh of relief, and waited for his father to leave the room. Once Sōichirō was out of earshot, Light made to scoot forwards to clamber out from under the desk. But before he could move a muscle, a voice asked, “What are you doing under the desk?”

It was the most beautiful sound Light had ever heard. That wonderfully computer modulated voice, that curious tone…

_**L!** _

Light ducked his face to hide his grin. He took a deep breath to compose himself…and found he was still smiling like an idiot. Light shrugged internally and scooted out from under the desk. There on the table across from him lay Watari’s laptop. The screen held a white background with a gothic L glowing black in the centre.

_Ironic_ , Light thought fondly as he brushed himself off,  _that in the end, you would be the one to find me._

“Good evening,” Light said politely, offering his smile to the screen, aware he looked like a goof. He had just crawled out from under a desk after hiding from his father, and was grinning uncontrollably at being caught. L mightn’t know him that well just yet, but he was bound to think Light was a weirdo. (He would get along famously with Ryuk.) “I am Light Yagami. It’s nice to meet you, L.” Light took a deep breath.  _Game face, Yagami,_ he told himself. “My father, Sōichirō Yagami, is Chief of Detectives here.”

“I know that,” L told Light smugly. Light barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “Why were you under the desk?”

“Well,” Light drawled, enjoying every moment. “I’m here with a friend of yours. Naomi Misora? You worked with her in LA. Her fiancé was abducted earlier this evening, and it is likely that Kira was behind it. Misora-san believed you were the only one she could trust, and asked me to bring her to you.”

L was silent for a moment. Then, “Where’s Misora-san?”

Light glanced around. Misora had wandered off somewhere or was hiding from Sōichirō, he wasn’t sure. “She’s looking for this laptop in the other half of the task force rooms,” Light replied truthfully. “She’s really worried about her fiancé. Can you help her?”

“Yes,” L replied simply. “If Kira is behind this, he has shown his hand. I will catch him.”

“Good,” Light told L simply. Then, “I’ll find Misora-san.” He had to tear himself away from the laptop, but he managed it, somehow. Light hurriedly strode to the other side of the room, checking the connecting offices for Misora. She was in the second one he checked. “I found L,” Light told her. “He’s waiting for you.”

Misora brightened, like the sun had come out. “Thank you.” She clasped Light’s arm briefly before hurrying him out of the room. Light led her to the laptop. Once she was in range of the camera, he thought he heard L lightly gasp. “Misora-san! I thought you had retired?”

Misora smiled at the laptop. “I have,” she said, “but I’m not here on official business. My fiancé was taken by Kira. You’d have learnt this soon enough yourself, because my fiancé is Raye Penber.”

Light imagined L biting at his thumb, knees tucking up to his chest. “Penber-san was taken by Kira? Did you see Kira?”

“No,” Naomi admitted. “But the apartment was a mess. Someone took Raye. Only Kira has the motive to do so. Who was he following, L? One of them has to be Kira.”

“…” Light knew L was looking at him through the monitor. He did not want to tip Light off to the fact he’d been followed. Light felt a flicker of anger at the lack of trust. He knew logically he hadn’t earned it yet, but it stung nonetheless.

Fighting down a scowl, Light plastered a smile on his face and said, “I’ll go explain the situation to my dad. Now you’re behind us, L, he’ll have to understand.”

Naomi flinched. “No, wait-“

“Why?” Light asked imploringly. “You know we’ll need more than just the three of us to save Penber. We have to bring the NPA in on this. Or at least a few trusted detectives and my father. You can’t possibly think he’s Kira, can you?” Light’s voice rose slightly, defensively, at the end.

“Yagami-kun,” L broke in firmly, “You don’t fully understand the situation.”

“Then tell me!” Light argued. L was not throwing him out! No! Not after everything-!

“Yagami-kun,” L commanded, “go home. Thank you for your help but you will only be in danger if you stay.”

Light felt like his head was about to explode. “I’ve helped Misora-san this far. I want to help her save her fiancé.”

“Light-san.” Naomi clasped Light’s shoulder. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, but if L says you should go, then you should go.” She smiled at Light like a friend would, grateful, kind, concerned. “You look exhausted. You should rest.”

Light let his poker face slip, revealing a hint of the devastating emotions he was feeling. The anger, the exhaustion, and the frustration. The want to be here. Light knew L would see the play of emotions on his face. He wondered what the detective would interpret from them.

“…I understand,” Light acquiesced. “Good luck, Misora-san, L. Goodnight.” He bowed his head politely and spun on his heel. He strode from the room with his head held high. He refused to show anyone just how much he was hurting from this. He didn’t even want to admit it to himself, though the high quality of the pain made him do so. He preferred to focus on the anger. It was a more productive emotion.

Once safely out of the police station, Ryuk asked him, “So that was L?”

“Yes,” Light said, teeth gritted. “That was L, the bastard. Pushing me out like that-“

Ryuk scratched his head. “I thought he was being nice to you? Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Light scoffed. “Hardly. He wanted me gone, so I wouldn’t find out I had been followed, that I was a Kira suspect. And he didn’t want me telling my father about Penber because he would figure out the FBI is here investigating the NPA. I thought I might force L’s hand, make him keep me there by threatening to bring in my father, and I could have persisted but-” Light took in a shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves. “If I’m belligerent now, I could put L offside forever. I need to show him that I’m a good guy. I have to help save Raye Penber, I-” Light stopped suddenly and Ryuk floated straight through him. “Ugh, gross, Ryuk, watch it.” Ryuk laughed at the horrified look on Light’s face. Light brushed his clothes off compulsively.

“Since L is making this hard, we’ll just have to get creative. Come on, Ryuk,” Light gestured for the Shinigami to follow as they about-faced and walked away from Light’s home. “Let’s go have some fun.”

\- - -

L had hardly believed his eyes when he saw a former suspect crawling around under the desks at the Kira task force headquarters. Sure, he was related to someone who worked there (hence his being investigated in the first place), but it didn’t explain why he was under a desk hiding from said relative. L was curious what on Earth Light Yagami thought he was doing. He decided to ask as much. The answer came as an unwelcome surprise.

Kira had abducted one of the FBI agents. It was possible Penber was already dead, and that if he wasn’t he would likely soon be. Perhaps with the other agents falling alongside him. L immediately wanted to think that Kira was someone Penber had trailed, but that seemed too simple. The list of hundreds would drop to two. The Yagami boy and the Kitamura girl. The suspicious busjacking took place while Penber had tailed Kitamura, which would suggest that she was the primary suspect.

Light Yagami had been visiting his father very regularly at the station, which could be taken as his being a caring son or as Kira wanting to keep a close eye on the investigation. Yet he had now brought Naomi to L, when Kira would logically have killed her.

It seemed insane. And it felt…off. L felt he was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle, if not entire sections. What did Kira stand to gain from physically abducting his enemies? Would Kira even need to do it himself, given that he can control the actions of others?

L pulled himself out of his spiral of speculation, aware of the panic and dread in Naomi’s face as she watched Light Yagami leave. She obviously trusted the boy, and she was usually a good judge of character. Regardless, L couldn’t afford to have civilians hanging around - not even incredibly intelligent ones with previous experience working on dangerous and sensitive cases.

“Misora-san,” L called her attention, “I’ll bring Watari up to speed and we’ll bring in the other FBI agents to help.”

“How many?” she asked.

“…11,” L admitted.

“—11!” Naomi glared at the little camera in the laptop. “You can’t catch Kira with the entire NPA behind you! How do you expect to find him  _on a time limit_  with only 11 men?”

“Sometimes fewer minds are better,” L hedged, unhappy with the anger and sorrow he saw in Naomi. He hardened his hatred for Kira even further. He was causing Naomi such pain. L wouldn’t say Naomi was his friend - far from it; L didn’t have friends - but he respected her, and was grateful for her help in stopping the monster that still hunted L in his dreams. L wouldn’t let Kira destroy her. To kill her like so many others. Anything L did to catch Kira was justified by the simple fact that Kira’s actions would always be more evil than his.

So lying to law enforcement shouldn’t be too hard, right?

“Misora-san,” L said firmly, “I will bring the task force in to assist, but we cannot tell them the truth. Only that you, being a former FBI agent were investigating Kira by yourself, and when you came in here yesterday with information, Kira - who had been watching you - became scared, and kidnapped your fiancé to hold hostage until you gave up your investigation. Penber is here only to meet your family. His profession is irrelevant to finding him.”

Naomi crossed her arms and glared for a moment longer. She then sighed, the tension leaving her body as she deflated slightly. “Alright, L. I trust you. Now let’s find Raye.”

\- - -

Ryuk watched Light walk into the shadiest of stores. He hung around outside, put off by all the images of bound humans he’d seen through the entrance. He wondered what Light was doing in there, at 1am, when they were supposed to be finding that FBI guy. Ryuk scratched his nose absentmindedly, bored already and fantasising about Mario Golf. Maybe they could squeeze in a round when they got home from Light’s weird errand?

Light emerged from the creepy store after ten minutes, the look on his face saying he’d like to write the place into the ground. Ryuk was immediately curious; why go in there if he hated it so much? “What’s in the box?” he asked Light, floating over to poke at the plain cardboard. Light grinned at him and popped open the lid. A pair of night vision binoculars. “What do you need those for?”

“Saving Raye Penber, of course,” Light drawled. “No other shops stay open so late, so I had to get it from there…If I never go in there again, it’ll be too soon. I swear that shop owner’s a criminal if I’ve ever seen one. I’ll look him up after we clean up this Penber mess.”

The pair set off down the street. “Why do you need those if you kidnapped that guy?” Ryuk asked.

“I didn’t personally abduct him,” Light explained. “The Yakuza did it for me. Of course, I couldn’t be too specific in where they took him, or I’d risk them all dropping dead of premature heart attacks. Penber is at their hideout. I know all their current hideouts so it’s only a matter of trial and error.”

Ryuk chuckled. “You thought you’d have the police to help with that.”

Light laughed bitterly. “I’d neglected to take into account L being so obstinate. Never again.”

Ryuk let out a loud laugh. “Watching you try to win him over is going to be fun.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Light grumbled. “Laugh it up.” He was happy someone was enjoying themselves at least.

\- - -

The third potential hideout Light checked was also a bust. A couple of homeless people were crashing there. It obviously wasn’t in use by the Yakuza yet. Applying future knowledge to the past was an art form Light hadn’t quite mastered yet.

Also he had not expected to have to do fieldwork himself. His dress shoes were not appropriate footwear for this scenario (they were now layered with god-knows-what; he’d have to throw them out), and his clothes were starting to get dirtied and torn from crawling around with the refuse of society. Light was feeling at his most snobbish, chin held high, nose occasionally pinched against the stench, and he was decidedly tired and pissed off by the time he made it to the fourth potential hideout.

So when Light saw the signs that this was the Yakuza hideout he was looking for - armed guards, electric lights - he was at once pleased and angered. He hunkered down in the dark of the alley across from the warehouse, pulled out his night vision binoculars and got to work scoping out the place. He counted around twenty mobsters, each armed to the teeth. Well, Light hadn’t selected a bunch of girl guides to kidnap Penber, so what else could he have expected? Even so, Light huffed out a sigh, catching Ryuk’s attention. The Shinigami had at first been intrigued by the homeless people they found in the earlier abandoned buildings, but had grown bored swiftly. He observed the scene now with renewed interest.

“What’re you gonna do, Lighto?” Ryuk asked eagerly.

Light stood up, letting the binoculars hang around his neck. “I’m going to save Raye Penber, what does it look like I’m doing?”

Ryuk gestured widely at the sea of criminals guarding Penber. “There are at least a dozen people ready to kill you between here and that guy. You don’t even know for sure where he is.”

Light systematically stretched his limbs. “He’ll be in there,” he said confidently. “And those men can’t hurt me Ryuk. Their names are already written.”

Ryuk laughed out loud. Light would only figure why out later.

\- - -

L had Watari bring the older Yagami to him. He explained the situation as truthfully as he could, leaving out only the parts that would alert Kira to the investigation into the NPA and ruin the NPA’s trust in L. Chief Yagami had, to his credit, woken himself up the moment L began his story, and by the end was blazing out the emergency phone and calling in his most trusted detectives. Matsuda, whom L wasn’t sure was actually a police officer and not just some stray wandered in off the street, was the only detective who had stayed late with Chief Yagami. It was around New Year’s, and most of the officers had wanted time off to spend with their families. L respected their decision but knew Kira would take no break for the holidays.

While Chief Yagami and Matsuda rounded up some help and explained the situation, L accessed the crime scene reports for Naomi and Raye’s hotel room. The mess was typical of an abduction of an able-bodied male in his early thirties. Raye had put up quite the fight. Kira had had difficulty subduing him…

L’s thumb went up to his lip. If Kira had trouble abducting Raye Penber, it stood to reason Kira had chosen not to control Raye’s actions or for some reason could not. This meant Kira could only control someone’s actions immediately before their death. It also meant Kira had wanted to keep Raye alive; perhaps to interrogate him, perhaps to use as ransom against Naomi…

Furthermore, Kira had never made a play like this. To come out into the open, to actually commit a crime in person, was new. Kira might have left some evidence behind, something L would definitely find if it were there.

Dark eyes scanned the crime scene photos for any tidbit of information. L’s mind whirred at a million miles an hour as he tried to logic out Kira’s move. What was the killer thinking…?

Chief Yagami had gathered twelve detectives, not including himself and Matsuda. They called a meeting around L’s laptop to brainstorm the crime, now that they were all brought up to speed.

“Thank you for coming in at such an hour on such short notice,” L told the officers through the laptop speakers. “We have reason to believe Kira has abducted Raye Penber, Naomi Misora-san’s fiancé, and is holding him somewhere, alive. This could be our best chance to catch Kira, so if anyone has any ideas - anything at all - about who Kira is, or where he’s taken Raye Penber or why, please share.” He fell silent, leaving the floor open to the Japanese detectives.

There was some murmuring, and then Matsuda of all people spoke first, “Penber-san is a healthy adult male. I couldn’t kidnap him by myself. Even with his powers, Kira is supposed to be young, right? I doubt Kira could manage to do it. This scene…it seems more like the work of two or three perpetrators.”

“So it’s not Kira then?” One of the other detectives sneered. “Matsuda, you shouldn’t waste everyone’s time like that.”

“Wait,” L commanded, cutting off the tirade. “Matsuda-san has a point. Kira’s profile suggests a young man; too young to be able to take down someone like Penber-san alone. It’s likely Kira had accomplices, perhaps even acolytes.” L paused. “It’s possible that Kira himself was not present at the crime, that he used his accomplices to do it in his stead.”

“So Kira was never there?” One of the detectives said loudly. “What’s the point then? We’ll never find Penber in time to save him if we have to look for Kira’s acolytes.”

Naomi winced. L caught the move and frowned. “Kobayashi-san, there’s a good chance that Kira’s acolytes are not as intelligent as Kira, that they will have left behind some evidence that would lead us to them - and to Kira.”

The detective, thoroughly put down, shrank back into his seat.

“You said Kira targeted this man, Penber, because of Misora-san’s investigation into him,” Aizawa chimed in. “She’s just a civilian, and yet her family was targeted. What about us? A lot of us detectives have families. If Kira is targeting investigators’ families, who’s to say it won’t be our families next?” That kicked off a round of dissatisfied murmurs among the gathered officers.

Breaking through the rabble, Chief Yagami said, “We all knew the risks of investigating Kira. I understand the need to protect your families - I have a family too - and I won’t blame you if you want to leave the investigation. I’ll only ask those people who are willing to do anything to catch this psychopath to stay.”

Aizawa said, “Chief…” somewhat reverently. To the rest of the room, he said, “Everyone, we should stay until we’ve saved Misora-san’s fiancé. After that, we can reconsider where we stand.”

“Yeah!” Matsuda cheered him on. Aizawa shot him a glare. Matsuda wilted a little under its force.

Meanwhile, L was considering the case.  _Kira can control a person’s actions but only immediately before he kills them. I have no idea why this is, but it is a great help to the investigation. Kira is not all powerful._

_Misora-san theorised that Kira can kill through methods other than heart attacks. Although it wouldn’t suit his modus operandi, if it’s true it would greatly expedite the investigation. Any murders Kira wanted to hide from us, he would use methods-other-than-cardiac-arrest to do so. If we can successfully find one of these murders, we will find Kira._

_Kira took Raye Penber to either interrogate him for information or to hold as ransom against Misora-san until she divulged what she knew of Kira and/or ceased her investigation. Kira was likely not present at the scene of the abduction, for as Matsuda observed, it would take more than one equally able-bodied man to take down a well-armed FBI agent…’s fiancé. Kira therefore has followers - no, acolytes. People he has brought into his inner circle. I always thought Kira would work alone…perhaps he does not intend to keep his acolytes around for longer than they are useful to him. Regardless, find an acolyte, and we’ll find Kira_.

_As for Kira himself, the fact that he’s targeting Penber rather than all the FBI agents would indicate he had been followed by Penber. Yet the only people followed were the Yagami’s and the Kitamura’s. Kira’s profile suggests someone young, making Light Yagami and Hana Kitamura the most likely suspects. Yet Penber has cleared Light Yagami and his reports on Hana Kitamura indicate she likely is not Kira either…But if one of them were Kira, Kira had to have spotted Penber spying on them, in order to know of him and kidnap him, and so they could easily have modified their behaviour so as not to be suspicious._

_And then Light Yagami brings Naomi Misora - and her damning theories - straight to me, not once but twice in as many days. Either Kira is so confident that he is willing to take risks like that (and stupid enough to think that I won’t notice him inserting himself into the investigation), or Light Yagami is simply the helpful, intelligent young man described to me, someone who also wants to catch Kira. Light Yagami is, to put it one way, far too obviously Kira to actually be Kira. If he were Kira, I would need to reassess my profile of Kira, because Light Yagami’s end game is neither readily apparent nor in sync with what we know of Kira._

_Hana Kitamura, on the other hand, makes a sort of sense as Kira_. L felt unreasonably saddened at the thought that she was Kira. The game he’d been playing in his head against the mass murderer would cease to be any fun.  _If she were Kira, she would have noticed Penber following her and panicked. She then abducts him to find out what he knows using her acolytes. As such a young woman, she would expect no-one would suspect her capable of murder, let alone to the degree of Kira’s atrocities._  Yet L knew better. He had personally investigated equally as young women who committed similarly appalling crimes.

Both Light Yagami and Hana Kitamura would have to stay on L’s radar as potential Kira’s. There wasn’t enough evidence to exonerate either of them, although their percentage likelihood of being Kira was less than 5% each.

_A law enforcement official however…Kira is almost certainly in law enforcement. 89% likelihood. He had known about Lind L. Tailor, which while possibly a lucky guess on Kira’s part, was suspicious. And then information leaked from the task force…And now this. Kira might not have even needed to know about the FBI’s investigation into the NPA; only that Misora-san had brought evidence to the task force that could potentially be Kira’s undoing. He then targets Penber in order to get to Misora and the rest, as they say, is history_.

Whatever the case may be, L knew they had to find Kira’s acolytes, and fast. “Everyone,” he grabbed the attention of the room easily. “Please go over the crime scene in detail. If you find anything that might lead to one of Kira’s acolytes, please pursue it. Chief Yagami, would you please gather your best forensics team and head to Misora-san’s apartment to perform a second sweep.”

Orders given, the other detectives sprang into action. L remained safely behind his computer screen. Naomi looked at him once the others were gone. “You know you can’t leave them in the dark like this. How can they catch Kira when they don’t know why he took Raye?”

L was quiet for a long moment. “Once they know, they won’t trust me to lead the investigation.”

Naomi smiled wistfully. “They hardly trust you as it is, L. Law enforcement isn’t exactly fond of you.”

L tucked his knees up to his chest, curled up on the heated hardwood floor on his hotel room. “That may be true,” L admitted. “But we need each other in order to catch Kira.”

“If you truly believed they would understand that,” Naomi countered. “You’d tell them the truth.”

\- - -

Raye Penber had come home from stalking the Kitamura girl, the same as usual. It had been a long day of watching a teenage girl act like a teenage girl. Raye was tired and looking forward to a nice home-cooked meal from Naomi.

He opened the door to their hotel room, saying, “Honey, I’m home-” But made it no further as he realised the apartment was dark and empty. No Naomi. “Huh.” Raye figured she must have gone out for groceries or some such. He shrugged his suit jacket off and his worries along with it. He took off his gun and holster, and placed them on the bedside table. He lay down on the bed, toeing off his shoes one at a time. Finally feeling the tension from the day leaving him, Raye relaxed into the soft mattress, prepared to wait however long for his fiancée to come home and take care of him.

After a solid twenty minutes of lounging about, there was a knock on the door. Raye sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, confused. Naomi wouldn’t have forgotten her keys. That was Raye’s job.

He eyed his weapon, weighing up his options. He settled for leaving it where it lay, and meandered over to the door. It was either Naomi, the hotel staff, or a surprise visit from Naomi’s family. No-one else knew they were staying in this room - apart from L, of course - so Raye didn’t feel he had anything to worry about.

One surprise gun to the face, an intense struggle, and a long semi-conscious car ride later, Raye found himself strapped to a chair in a disused building, surrounded by Yakuza. Feeling mildly concussed, it took Raye a while to logic out why the monsters had abducted him. One of the cops at the scene of the busjacking had to have been dirty. They would have told their Yakuza friends that the FBI, that Raye, was here investigating them, and - spurred into a panic after the sudden death of their colleague - they had taken Raye in an attempt to determine what he knew.

It made perfect sense. (And only took Raye four hours to figure out.)

So, after this revelation, Raye waited for the interrogation to start. But the Yakuza just left him alone, tied to the chair in the room. In fact, they completely left him to his own devices after a time. No-one seemed to want to talk to Raye, let alone interrogate and torture him. Maybe he was wrong about why he was here…?

It was either late at night or very early in the morning. Raye couldn’t sleep; not as a result of his circumstances, but because of the awful fluorescent lighting. His captors had bad taste. While thinking of how the Yakuza should be able to afford better hostage holding facilities, Raye nearly missed the familiar head of auburn hair pop up in the window across from him.

_Light…Yagami?!_

Raye quite literally did not believe his eyes. He watched in disbelief as the Yagami boy signalled for Raye to keep quiet, then observed him stealthily make his way into the room. The door to the room was unlocked but screamed on its hinges. Raye winced, the sentiment echoed by Yagami.

“What are you doing here?” Raye whispered urgently as soon as Yagami was near enough.

“I’m here to save you,” Yagami told him shortly. “Now shut up and stay still.” Raye chose to remain silent and still as Yagami pulled out a pocket knife to cut the zip ties pinning Raye to the chair (he insisted he was not following the orders of a 17 year old).

Light was down to the zip ties on Raye’s left leg when the other door to the room swung open on heavy hinges. Light froze for an instant, and then glanced over his shoulder at the hulking Yakuza man that had entered. Raye swore and yelled at Light, “Hurry up!” Light quickly cut one of the remaining zip ties, but before he could slice the last two, the Yakuza man was upon him.

“Hey kid,” the criminal rumbled, large fingers digging into Light’s shoulders. “What do you think you’re doing here?”

\- - -

End Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Chapter 6 will be up tomorrow!


	6. Puppetmaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira strikes again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Chapter 5 has been edited now for spelling and logic because I was running on as little sleep as Light when I wrote it so it was a li'l wonky. Here's chapter 6 now that I'm happy with the continuity!
> 
> Big shout-out this time to ALL MY LOVELY REVIEWERS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!! *echoes into outer space*
> 
> To Poe, Xoira, littleberd, lilystarling, CN, Jamie, Mila, Shala+Lois, question, Maggisakura, DemonTeaLover, Shiuwol, CrazycatSitter, backwardElagabalus, LoverOfEmotions01, Aim_Nath, Cinthia, animefangirl2014, Yuna, Achaka, Cielty, SahaTheDeceitfulSlytherin, Somebody, :D, Acixs, Sushiie, kyrilu, SummerLove, and krazeden - you guys make my day by leaving such thoughtful and kind reviews. This story's for you

Chapter Six: Puppetmaster

\- - -

So you're feeling tied up to a sense of control

And make decisions that you think are your own

You are a stranger here, why have you come?

Why have you come, lift me higher, let me look at the sun

Look at the sun and once I hear them clearly, say

Mikky Ekko,  _Who Are You, Really?_

\- - -

Light put on his best innocent expression as he turned away from Raye Penber to face the mobster. “I just saw this man tied up in here and wanted to help…”

The Yakuza gorilla frowned, mulling that over slowly. “You made a mistake coming in here, kid-” he started saying, fingers tightening painfully into Light.

Light’s innocent expression dropped. His back was to Raye so he let the full power of his murderous rage show on his face. The gorilla flinched away from him, obviously surprised. “I’m taking him with me,” Light all but growled. “Don’t stand in my way.”

It wasn’t like brandishing a Note page in this guy’s face would help, but oh Light was tempted. He wanted to show this worm just who was in charge around here.

The bulky Yakuza recovered quickly from his fear of Light, obviously telling himself it was irrational to be afraid of an unarmed teen. He yelled for help, and drew his gun on Light.

Light rolled his eyes at the man. “Haruto Suzuki,” he said the man’s name clearly, enunciating each syllable. “You can’t hurt me. I know who you are.”

Haruto freaked out, gun lowering as he tried to figure out how this random kid knew his name. His Yakuza buddies swarmed into the room, responding to his call. Light spread his arms wide, in what he was sure Penber would consider a protective gesture, but in what was actually a display of power.  _You can’t hurt me,_  Light was taunting the Yakuza.  _I’m God. What I write, goes._

“Run! Get out of here!” Penber yelled at Light, and he struggled to his feet, one leg still attached to the chair. “I’ll hold them off!”

Light snapped an arm around, blocking Penber. “Don’t be a hero,” he snapped.

“That’s my line,” Raye argued, trying to force his way in front of Light.

“Shut the fuck up,” one of the Yakuza shouted. Light’s gaze flickered from Penber to him, and then he did a double take. There was a face he didn’t know. And it was a very recognisable face; scarred on the right hand side, with one eye damaged and likely blind.

Light paled considerably. “Now, gentlemen,” he raised his hands placatingly. “I’m sure we can come to some kind of agreement here.”

The unknown man strode forward from the dumbfounded crowd and pointed his gun at Light’s chest. “Get on the ground,” he barked. “Now!”

Penber tried to push Light to the ground, to make him follow orders, but Light refused to go. “What’re you’d doing-?” Penber insisted.

Light looked at the unknown man, considering. “What’s your name?” he asked bluntly.

“Saitō,” the man answered. “What’s it to you?”

“I’m Light Yagami. My father is chief superintendent at the NPA. If you kill me, Saitō, you’ll bring the NPA down on your heads.”

Saitō seemed to consider that for a moment, then shrugged. “Not if they don’t find your body.” He squeezed the trigger. Light was already throwing himself to the side, but the bullet hit his shoulder. Gritting his teeth against the pain, and clutching at the wound to stem the bleeding, Light ran.

He left Penber behind on the ground and ran. He stumbled a little as he slammed through the back exit into the alleyway but recovered and took off at a pace, knowing the Yakuza wouldn’t be far behind him. Fucking  _Saitō_  had thrown a wrench into Light’s perfect plan. Today was just not Light’s day.

He had made it down a half dozen city blocks, with a few twists and turns thrown in for good measure, when he slipped away into a train station and ran into the women’s bathroom. (No-one would look for him in there.) He hid in a stall, and tried to catch his ragged breath. It felt like he’d left his heart and other assorted organs behind at the disused building.

As well as Penber. Talk about a mission aborted. Light slammed a fist into his knee and winced against the tremors of pain that sent through him.

“Hora, Lighto, found ya!” Ryuk’s cheerful growl of a voice broke through Light’s pity party. The Shinigami‘s head was phased through the stall wall.

Light growled at Ryuk and threw a roll of toilet paper at his head. It phased through and bounced pitifully off the wall. “I asked you to keep look out!”

Ryuk looked sheepish. “Ah, about that…I might have gotten bored and started playing with a stray cat I found.”

Light’s jaw dropped slightly in disbelief. “A cat?” He dropped his face into his hands.

“Ah, Light?” Ryuk waved a ghostly hand in front of Light’s hidden face. “You okay, buddy?” Light’s hysterical laughter trickled past his fingers. “So we’re still on for Mario Golf then?”

Light dropped his hands and leaned backwards on the closed toilet. “Why not?” he seemingly asked the universe at large. “Everything is making a mockery of my efforts lately. I think it would be nice to sit back with a friend and play video games.”

_Friend_? Ryuk thought, confused. He was Light’s roommate, not his friend.

Light waved a hand at Ryuk as if to dismiss his concerns. They must have shown on his gnarly face. “Don’t worry, I don’t mean anything by it. I know we have a particular arrangement. I won’t change that. Besides, it’s not like I can be friends with someone who gets distracted by every shiny thing he sees.”

Light stood up and casually walked through Ryuk and out of the stall, leaving the Shinigami wondering if he was just insulted.

\- - -

L was getting frustrated. There were simply no good clues at the scene of Penber’s abduction. There was some passive blood flow from one of his assailants, but it would take at least a few more hours for the DNA results to come back, and then longer to run through the system. They would find the attacker, if he were registered in any DNA system in the world, but by that time it may already be too late for Penber. Kira may even slip away into the night. And so, L was frustrated. Analysing the scene could only give them so much information. Even L couldn’t conjure the names of the criminals who had done this from thin air. And it’s not as if they left a note behind, saying  _this is me, I did it_. (L’s job would be a lot easier if more people did that.)

Naomi wasn’t getting any further either. She had taken to looking back at the busjacking. She was currently reading the police report on the incident, which made no mention of Adani’s connections to organised crime nor Penber’s presence at the scene. It was written much as Watari had instructed Izaka to write it. What Naomi expected to find, L wasn’t sure. (He’d already read and reread the report.)

Meanwhile the NPA officers who had stayed after Aizawa’s little speech were busy canvassing witnesses from the hotel, redoing the forensic work on the scene of the crime, and checking into anyone Naomi had come into contact with since she had entered Japan. They weren’t investigating the people she had spoken to in the NPA, but then again L hadn’t expected them to. They would deny Kira’s connection to them for as long as possible. Unless someone forced the possibility - in fact, the great likelihood (89%) - in their face, the thought would never even cross their minds.

With the NPA detectives out on their various errands, despite the early hour of the morning (it was coming up on 3am), there were very few people left in the task force rooms. Only Watari, Naomi, Matsuda, Mogi, Aizawa, and Ukita were left. Even Chief Yagami was out at the crime scene. L had spent some time keeping the FBI up to date, but had otherwise been busy going back over any evidence related to Kira, in the hopes he would find that one clue that would tell him who Kira is or even where he might be.

Everyone was sufficiently busy that no-one noticed Light Yagami stumble into the task force room, bleeding like a stuck pig. His fingers were clasped around his shoulder wound, his white dressed shirt stained an awful red, his stylish winter jacket torn, bloodied and ruined. He looked like he’d been through the trenches and back.

L was the first to notice Light shambling towards them like something out of Night of the Living Dead. “Yagami-kun-!” L gasped. Everyone’s heads snapped up at his urgent tone of voice. “You’re injured!”

“What?!” Naomi was out of her seat and at Light’s side in a flash. She slipped under his uninjured shoulder and caught his weight as he slumped into her. “Light-san! Are you alright? What happened?”

Light mumbled an answer, swaying dangerously as Naomi led him to the nearest chair. She lowered him into in and turned on Matsuda (who was nearest to her, having come over to help), “Go get the first aid kit and some water! Now!” Matsuda nearly snapped her a salute, then ran off to acquire the supplies.

Aizawa, Mogi and Ukita hurried over to check on Light and hear what had happened. Watari picked up L’s laptop and took them both over to where the Yagami boy was slowly bleeding all over the carpet.

“Yagami-kun,” L asked urgently. “What happened?”

Light’s amber eyes, somewhat dulled from the pain and blood loss, found the monitor and its stylised L. L noted mildly that the teen’s intelligence still blazed in his eyes even when suffering thusly.

“L,” Light coughed, dehydrated. “I found Penber.” He rattled off an address on the far side of town. “Yakuza…have him…couldn’t find…Kira…”

Light’s eyes were sliding shut. “Yagami-kun!” L shouted. “Keep him awake!” he ordered the others. Matsuda was just returning with water and a first aid kit. Watari grabbed the glass from him and threw the water on Light. Light flinched awake, glaring weakly at the shadowy figure of Watari.

“Hey…!” he complained tiredly. “Tryin’ sleep here… Tired…”

Naomi looked extremely concerned. “Call an ambulance,” she ordered the room at large, as she took the first aid kit off Matsuda and used the scissors to cut away Light’s sleeve. The wound looked to be from a bullet. The bullet had passed through cleanly but had taken a sizeable cylinder of Light’s shoulder with it.

Naomi quickly applied antiseptics to the wound and began wrapping a bandage tightly around the sluggishly bleeding limb.

“Light,” L used the teen’s given name to grab his attention. The boy’s eyes widened and L could see the effort it was taking him to focus on L, but Light did so anyway. “How did you find Penber?”

“Simple,” Light murmured, eyes closing and a smile gracing his lips. “Adani…mobster…Kira…law enforcement…corruption… hideouts…” His explanation was a lot of barely strung together nouns, but L understood the gist of it. Light had connected the dots between the busjacker and Kira and had pursued his lead on his own, obviously thinking that L would not listen to him after L had thrown him out. L was amazed by how swiftly Light had drawn his – apparently accurate – conclusions. (His thoughts turned barbed as he considered how  _convenient_  it was that Light Yagami could find Raye Penber so quickly.)

Not having any time to waste, L tore his mind from the semi-conscious boy and ordered Watari to arrange SWAT teams to take the location Light had told them, and rescue Raye Penber. With Watari on the case, L returned his attention to Light Yagami. He was presently holding Naomi’s hand, eyes half-lidded as he watched Watari and the other detectives springing into action. They were calling in the entire task force for the effort, hour of the morning be damned.

“Light Yagami,” L addressed the teen with a newfound respect. If the kid was Kira, he was doing a fine job of playing the role of an innocent. He would make either an admirable ally or a formidable opponent. “Thank you for your help. I should not have dismissed you so easily.”

Light smiled, wide and proud. L was taken aback. He did not usually engender such responses in people. “Is that…an…apology?” Light teased quietly.

L smiled behind his thumb, staring intently through the screen at Light. “No,” he replied, tone flat, but meaning playful. Light seemed to understand, because his smile widened, then turned into a yawn.

“I…think…I’ll…sleep…now…” Light managed around a yawn, tucking himself down into the uncomfortable work chair.

“Wait,” Naomi insisted urgently, squeezing Light’s hand. “Don’t sleep, Light-san. You need to stay awake. The ambulance will be here soon.”

Light moved his free hand sluggishly, to pat Naomi’s gently where it clutched his hand. “I’ll…be fine,” he told her quietly. “Doesn’t feel…like…dying.”

While L wondered how Light Yagami could know what dying felt like, Light’s unfocused gaze slid past the laptop to stare at an empty space of air beside it. “Nap first,” he told the air. “Mario…Golf…later.” With that, Light slipped into the dark comforts of unconsciousness.

“Who was he talking to?” Naomi wondered, voicing L’s own question.

“I don’t know,” L replied carefully. Light had lost a considerable amount of blood and had obviously had an exhausting night, so it was possible he had become unhinged from reality for a moment. Still, L was curious who Light thought he saw. Who would be so important to the teen that he would hallucinate them only to talk about a video game?

The case of Light Yagami was only becoming curiouser and curiouser. 

Watari had departed the building, to meet up with Chief Yagami and the SWAT team. Aizawa, Mogi and Ukita tagged along. Matsuda had tried to follow, but had been shut down by Aizawa, who insisted he stay at the task force offices and take care of Light and Naomi while they waited for the ambulance. Matsuda had clearly known he was being left behind on purpose, but took it with good cheer. L watched the whole exchange through the camera on the laptop, musing over each detective, wondering if there was even a chance they were Kira.

With Light unconscious, the only intelligent conversation available to L was Naomi. Matsuda took Naomi’s place at Light’s side, holding his hand (drying blood and all) and striking up a one-sided conversation with the boy. He told Light all about his lacklustre love-life and his most recent misfortunes (of which he seemed to have in abundance). While Matsuda talked, L flashed Naomi a message, asking her to take the laptop and go across the room for a private conversation.

Once there, L asked her in English, “What do you think about Light Yagami?”

“Light?” Naomi seemed surprised that this was what L wanted to talk about. “He’s a good kid. I trust him.”

“I gathered that,” L said, amused. “I should have asked, do you think there’s a chance that he’s Kira?”

“What?” Naomi leaned closer to the screen and whispered, “Why?”

“He keeps appearing in the investigation,” L explained. “It’s suspicious that he’s always inserting himself, or making himself known in some capacity.”

“Is it?” Naomi said defensively. “His father’s the chief and he obviously wants to become a detective. The Kira case is only the biggest case he might ever have a chance to work on. It makes sense for him to want to help; not only from a career standpoint, but because he has a strong sense of morals, and wants to do the right thing.”

“That may be,” L argued, “but the fact remains that he just conveniently met you and brought you into the investigation. Furthermore, he found your fiancé tonight before any of us had even thought to look there. I understand his deductions, yet he would obviously require access to police information to find the locations of the Yakuza hideout. Access that he does not have.”

“He has access to cold cases his father gave him. Light told me how he’s helped the police in the past solve numerous cases. The hideout must be in those files. He’s very smart, and that’s how he knew where to find Raye,” Naomi explained. “That’s why he should be on the task force.”

“Or he’s Kira,” L continued to play devil’s advocate. “Not only is he orchestrating these events, but he is hacking his father’s computer to access NPA files, and that’s how he knows these things.”

“Maybe. But how would Light Yagami, a 17 year old with no record, be connected to the Yakuza? Kira evidently has some relationship with them, to use them in this way,” Naomi poked holes in L’s argument. “And why would Kira let himself be shot like this when he could just kill the Yakuza? Why help us find Raye?”

L was silent for a moment, thumb to his lips, knees tucked up, considering. “You’re right,” he conceded. “None of this makes sense if he’s Kira.” Naomi nodded, as if to say,  _see, I’m right_. “I still don’t like it,” L insisted. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Naomi gave him a look,  _Really_? “You can’t arrest Light on a hunch. Besides, isn’t it more likely that Kira is someone else here at the NPA? Someone with connections to organised crime; a dirty cop, like Light said.”

“It doesn’t make sense for Kira to be a corrupt member of law enforcement,” L said. “Kira kills criminals. He passes judgement on them.”

“He doesn’t see himself as a criminal, despite committing multiple murders,” Naomi said. “Why should he consider himself a criminal just from working with the Yakuza?”

L nodded, although Naomi couldn’t see it. “You are correct, Ms Misora,” he said. “Kira could still be anyone at the NPA. It was fanciful to think something as simple as ‘Light Yagami is Kira’ could solve the case.”

“Well, don’t be downhearted,” Naomi said, switching back to Japanese. “The task force will return soon with Raye, and probably with some arrested Yakuza. We can interrogate them. Maybe one of them knows who Kira is.”

L agreed mildly, thinking to himself that Kira wouldn’t let it progress that far. If he thought the mobsters would give him away, he’d kill them in a heartbeat.

All of a sudden, the lights went off in the building and an alarm sounded. Naomi whipped to her feet, looking around the darkened room. The emergency lights came on, red and flashing. “What-?”

L quickly hacked into the NPA’s security system. The cameras revealed that a crowd of some twenty or so men, dressed to the nines in suits and guns, had taken the lobby, shot the receptionist (who had obviously managed to sound the alarm just before), and were now proceeding up the stairs to the task force offices. The rest of the building was relatively deserted, apart from a couple security guards who were now prowling for the threat, so L quickly called Watari.

“Watari! You need to bring the task force back to the office right now!” L said urgently, the instant Watari picked up the line. “The Yakuza are here!”

“I know; I was about to call,” Watari said grimly. “We just found Penber.”

_Dead?_  L’s heart skipped a beat.

“Alive,” Watari clarified swiftly. “We untied and ungagged him. He just told us, ‘It’s a trap’.”

L cursed.  _Damn you, Kira_. “Hurry,” he said and hung up.

Watari would bring the NPA back as fast as possible, but it wouldn’t be fast enough. With Light Yagami unconscious, there was only Matsuda and his one firearm, and Naomi with her capoeira, protecting the offices. If this was Kira’s plan all along, to sabotage all their efforts- He wouldn’t succeed. L had the upper hand. He was not physically present at the offices. No matter what, Kira wouldn’t be able to reach him. If he couldn’t stop L, he couldn’t stop the investigation.

That did not make L any less worried for the safety of the three people in the office right now.

“Misora-san, Matsuda-san,” L said in a voice that brokered no debate. “The Yakuza have come here. They’re breaking into this room as I speak. The task force is on their way back, but you need to hold on until then. Whatever the Yakuza ask of you, give it to them. Your co-operation may be the only way out of this alive. Any information you give them will be worthwhile. Don’t worry about the Kira investigation.”

“L!” Matsuda cried. “Why would the Yakuza come here? They don’t need information from the task force!”

“Not unless they’re working with Kira,” Naomi told him. Matsuda quivered for a moment then hardened his resolve. He took his gun off and stashed it underneath Light’s unconscious body to prevent the Yakuza seizing it or shooting him over it.

Not a moment later, the door to the task force office burst open. A dozen Yakuza swarmed in, guns swiftly zeroing in on Naomi and Matsuda. L had remotely turned off the laptop screen, but kept the camera running so he could watch the proceedings.

“Nobody fucking move!” the leader of the Yakuza declared. “You two, on the ground, now!”

Naomi and Matsuda dropped to the grounds, palms raised to show they were unarmed.

The head Yakuza gestured for some of his men to go over and secure the pair. Once their hands were zip tied behind their backs, the head Yakuza nodded his head at Light’s unconscious body. “That’s the one. The boy who broke into our hideout. He dead?”

One of the Yakuza lackeys went to Light and checked his pulse. “He’s alive.” He slapped Light across the face. Light hardly stirred. “Just unconscious.”

“Leave him,” the boss ordered. He strode over to Naomi and Matsuda. Naomi gave him a defiant look, while Matsuda did his best to look equally stern. “Who are you two?” he waved the barrel of his gun in their faces, just so they were clear who he meant.

“Shoko Maki,” Naomi replied without hesitation. “It’s my husband you kidnapped.”

“Oh-ho?” the boss chortled. “How quaint.”

“Touta Matsui,” Matsuda replied, voice steadier than L expected. “Detective, NPA.”

The boss tapped him on the head with his gun. “Hush, wasn’t talking to you.” He looked Naomi up and down, assessing. “Why was your husband investigating us?”

“What?” Naomi frowned, confused. “He wasn’t investigating you.”

Her answer earned her a slap across the face. “Stupid bitch. We know the FBI’s investigating us. And now the NPA too! Don’t you fuckers have anything better to do? Like catching that Kira maniac?”

L sat back in surprise. So the Yakuza weren’t working with Kira? They had abducted Penber and were now storming the NPA because…what? Because Watari had told the police that Penber was on the bus when it was hijacked because he was investigating the Yakuza?  _No_ , L realised, leaning in towards the computer.

“Excuse me,” L’s voice came through the laptop as the screen turned back on. The Yakuza spun around in a move that would have earned them a gold medal in synchronised sports. “I believe you’re in the wrong task force office. We are investigating Kira, not you.”

The boss levelled his gun at the talking machine, for all the good it would do him. “Lies. We know you’re investigating us because-”

“Officer Izaka told you,” L finished for him. “I know. He’s obviously an informant for you, yes?” The boss nodded weakly, in a tail spin. “The problem is, Izaka did not know the full story. The FBI is investigating the NPA because Kira works here. The busjacking was a freak coincidence. I could not have the NPA learning of the investigation so I ordered that the police be lied to about the FBI’s purpose in Japan. That you found out about the lie is the next freak occurrence. None of us should have ended up in this position.”

The Yakuza lackeys were looking at each other in confusion. Their boss, obviously the brightest bulb in the dim bunch, mulled over L’s words for a minute. “Why should we trust you?”

“Because I am L,” L explained, like it was obvious. “If I give the word, no-one will come after you for this siege.” The boss considered the offer. L added, like an afterthought, “Oh, and because Kira works for the NPA and none of you cut the security footage, so you’ll all probably die of heart attacks soon, if you don’t leave.”

That spurred the Yakuza into action. The lackeys began collectively freaking out, while the boss spent a minute with his mouth opening and closing like a fish on dry land.

L was at once amused and disturbed. To think Kira already struck such fear into the hearts of so many…

“We have to go,” the boss concluded. Then, louder, over the din, “We have to go! Now!” He gestured violently with his gun at the laptop screen. “Keep your word, L! No-one had better come after us or we’ll kill that FBI agent!”

L hummed quietly. “Very scary,” he offered flatly. “Now, run.”

The Yakuza boss shot the letter on the laptop screen, causing broken computer parts to fly in all directions. Naomi and Matsuda, directly beneath the shattering plastic and glass, both ducked in cover.

The Yakuza hurried to exit the building, nearly tripping each other in their haste to make it down the stairs. L watched through the security cameras, and wondered if Kira was watching too.

The boss gathered all his cronies in the lobby, and when everyone was accounted for, they rushed out the exit. Forty seconds after their feet hit the pavement, the Yakuza clutched at their chests in unison, twisting in pain, writhing as they hit the ground.

L jumped to his feet, shocked. When he had threatened the Yakuza with Kira, he hadn’t actually meant for it to happen.

Only one Yakuza remained standing amongst his fallen comrades. He dropped to his knees beside the boss Yakuza and shook him weakly, calling out to him. The man was on the younger side, with an impressive scar on the right side of his face.

L dialled Watari, and instructed him to arrest the man fitting the scarred Yakuza’s description. Watari told him they were nearly back at the NPA, and L thanked him numbly before hanging up. It was one thing to chase Kira, to follow in his bloodless trail, and another thing entirely to see Kira’s power in action on such a large scale. And to know that Kira was here, watching.

In a matter of minutes, the full force of the NPA descended upon the scarred man. He surrendered without a fight. Even through the poor image quality of the security cameras and the dim light of the streetlights, L could make out the tears on the man’s face. L felt a pang of sympathy for the man and his dead friends. Whatever the Yakuza had done to anger Kira, they hadn’t deserved this.

The ambulance arrived during the arrest, the workers obviously confused by the mountain of dead bodies littering the pavement. They had been called for one youth with a gunshot wound, not twenty dead people. L called Watari, and through him, directed the ambulance workers into the building, past the horror on the footpath. L had been working on restoring the power to the NPA building, and successfully turned off the security system so as to let the ambulance workers take the elevator up to the task force office. They quickly went to Naomi and Matsuda, with one of the ambulance workers cutting them free of the zip ties while the other went to Light and checked his vitals.

“L,” Naomi asked the room at large. L buzzed himself through to the ambulance dispatch, and sweet-talked his way onto the radio of the ambulance workers’.

“Misora-san,” his voice crackled through. “The Yakuza are dead.”

“Kira,” Matsuda gasped, rubbing at his wrists.

“Both of you, please stay here while Light Yagami is taken to the hospital. I need you to explain what happened to the NPA…while I arrange the collection of the bodies.”

Naomi looked like she wanted to resist, to go with Light, but then her expression cleared and she asked the crucial question, “Raye?”

“He’s alive,” L confirmed for her. “He’s here, with the task force.”

“Thank God,” Naomi breathed a sigh of relief. Then she put on a stern voice, “L, we have to tell the NPA the truth now. Kira is obviously here. It’s too dangerous for the task force to continue as it is.”

“Hey, yeah,” Matsuda interrupted. “You were investigating us, L? Why didn’t you tell us Kira was here? We could have been killed at any time!”

“…” L had no good answer to that, at least none that Matsuda would want to hear. “Matsuda-san, I won’t stop you from telling the others that I was investigating the NPA with the FBI. It’s true. It was necessary.”

Matsuda sniffled, obviously feeling betrayed. L signed off from the ambulance radio.

Chief Yagami and the task force members returned to the office, Raye Penber in tow. Naomi rushed to Raye and wrapped him in a hug. He oofed at the force with which she impacted him, then smiled softly as he hugged her back. Watari entered a few minutes later, with a new laptop for L to connect through.

The ambulance workers gathered Light’s limp form onto a gurney and hustled him out of the offices. L watched him go, curiosity peaking. There was something about Light Yagami. L had the feeling he would be seeing more of the teen. So he’d have plenty of time to figure out what it was.

L noted that Chief Yagami stayed at the office, and didn’t even suggest he ought to go to the hospital with his son. A dedicated detective? Or something more sinister? L put it aside as something that would require further research.

Matsuda and Naomi explained to the task force what had happened while they were gone. The task force members were at first concerned, then increasingly angered by the tale. At the end, Chief Yagami cried out, “The FBI’s probing members of our task force under orders from L?!” To the laptop and its gothic L he asked, “Is that the truth?”

“Yes,” L answered. There was no point in defending his position. The task force members would either see the merits of L’s secrecy by themselves, or they wouldn’t be able to see it at all.

“L…I knew we couldn’t trust him,” Ide growled to Aizawa.

“All of us could be murdered by Kira,” Yagami addressed the crowd of task force agents. Everyone had been called in for the rescue attempt. “The deaths of the Yakuza tell us that Kira is here in the NPA, like L suspected. Any of us could know Kira, and not know that we do. He could kill any of us at any time, if we get too close to catching him. Think about your own lives, and about your families and your friends. If you want out of this investigation, you’re free to leave. Quitting the task force will not lead to demotion. I’ve already spoken to the deputy director-general about this. Only those who are ready and willing to sacrifice everything and fight, who are truly committed to stopping this psychopath, are asked to remain. You all have until tomorrow to decide. At the 9am briefing on Friday, I’ll find out who those are.”

Yagami stood. “You’re all free for the day. There’s nothing you can do here, while we wait for the bodies to be cleared and for the forensics team to return the reports to us. Take the day to consider, spend it with your families.”

“Matsuda-san, Misora-san, Penber-san,” L said as the task force members began to slowly trickle out of the office. “I need you to stay. I have some questions for you.”

“L,” Chief Yagami said, weary. “I’ll bring the other people who were in the building to you for questioning.” He stood to go do just that.

L was surprised that he had been so easily forgiven. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. Watari will take care of that. You should go to the hospital to be with your son.”

Chief Yagami looked like he was about to resist - L prepared himself to be equally stubborn - but Naomi beat him to the punch. “Yagami-san,” she placed a gentle hand on Sōichirō’s arm. “I’m worried about Light-san. He was injured trying to save my fiancé. I have to stay here and help the investigation… I need you to make sure Light-san is alright. Please.”

Sōichirō softened, the tension in his face falling away. “You’re right, Misora-san. Stay with your fiancé. Take care of him.”

“I’m never letting him out of me sight again,” Naomi said, only half joking.

“Hey-!” Raye protested, from under his shock blanket.

\- - -

When Light came to, it was to the smell of antiseptics, and the sight of hospital linoleum floors. His head felt like a truck had run it over and then backed up to finish the job. He groaned and his mouth felt like it was full of cotton. His shoulder burned when he tried to move.

“Big brother!” Sayu glomped onto Light. He gasped at the sudden weight and presence. “You’re awake!”

Light smiled, a little twisted with pain, at where his sister was attached to his waist. She was sobbing and chattering about – something, he couldn’t quite make it out – into his side. He patted her back with his good arm awkwardly but fondly.

He looked up and saw his mother smiling in relief in a hospital chair. His father was beside her in his own chair. Even Ryuk was lounging around beside the bed.

Even though he was in pain, even though his plan hadn’t been perfect, even though he was tired and worried he had made one little slip that would see him in the executioner’s chair - even though he was a killer now, and the fate of the world rested on his young shoulders - even despite all that, Light lit up at the sight of his family here with him.

Only one piece was missing.

Light knew where to find it.

\- - -

End Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know y'all have had some questions about Light's logic behind this plan. He thinks back over it a bit in chapter 7, so that will hopefully clear things up for you :)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos or a review if you liked it


	7. Chapter Seven: The Curtain Rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New 'old' troubles emerge for Light in the wake of his Yakuza scheme...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,
> 
> Wow you guys have just been leaving super comments! Really inspired me to write, write, write. So here's a longer chapter as we move into the next phase of the story~
> 
> Shoutout to CrazycatSitter for the plot bunny in this chapter!

Chapter Seven: The Curtain Rises

\- - -

幕が上がれば　逃げられはしない  
実は僕たち　そんな場所にいる  
ハッピーエンドに　なれるように  
演じきればいいさ

Ito Kashitaro,  _Role Praying_

\- - -

Whilst Light was laid up in a hospital bed with nothing to do while he waited for the doctor to clear him to leave, he spent his time thinking back over the last few days. Looking for any mistake, any error. One little slip was all it would take to put him in L’s power, rather than put L in his.

Light knew what he had to do as Kira. That much was self-evident. Kill all the bad people in the world, swiftly and without mercy. Hurt someone else and pay the price. That was law in Kira’s world.

But as Light Yagami? Light wasn’t quite as sure what he had to do. He had no Nightmare blueprint guiding him. All he had was his brain and - dare he say it - his heart to win L over. Light had never lost in his life, not in anything that mattered. He didn’t think he could stand it if he lost now, when everything was on the line. Because it all came down to L. If he’d only say yes to Kira’s justice,  _if he’d only say yes_  - whether he would was anybody’s guess.

When it came to L, Light was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. On the one hand, lay victory for Light; he’d win L, he’d win the world, and everything would be okay. On the other hand, he’d die in agony in an electric chair or by needle (or worse); because Light knew he couldn’t kill L this time around. He wouldn’t kill anyone innocent. (As much as one could call what L was capable of doing to people ‘innocent’.) Light would have victory as Kira, with his family and L by his side, and not a drop of innocent blood on his hands - or he would destroy himself trying to get there.

At least, that’s what Light promised himself. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he found himself backed into a corner. In his Nightmare, he’d become rather…feral, by the end. When backed into that final corner by Near, Light had lost what little sanity he had left.

Light knew it wasn’t exactly ‘sane’ to consider himself a god, which he did, but with the power of life and death that he held in his hands? What else was he but a god? So he might be a little mad - all the best people were. L certainly was. 

 ** _L_**. Light’s plan to catch him was more than a little elaborate. He had a number of factors to keep in mind at all times. Certain goals that he had to reach that were not always compatible with each other. Not cooperative at least; Light would make them fit.

First, he had to keep L suspicious of him as Kira. If L lost interest in Light or cleared him entirely, L would have no reason to be near Light. Light needed him nearby - needed him suspicious - in order to convert him.

Second, Light couldn’t make it obvious he was Kira. If he did, it would be light’s out. So keep L suspicious, but never leave anything concrete behind.

Third, L would only meet Light in person if he thought he had no other options; if he thought it was a calculated risk he needed to take to further the Kira investigation. In order to achieve this - and this was the trickiest part - Light had to get rid of the hundreds of law enforcement officials willing to help L. He had to scare off the FBI and Interpol, and thin out the NPA’s task force. But all of this had to be compatible with his morals as Kira and as Light Yagami - in other words, he couldn’t simply kill the people standing between himself and L. It would be morally reprehensible (not to mention completely ruin any chance he had with L) to do so. Thus, Light was stuck trying to scare off law enforcement.

Kira couldn’t attack them directly - all Kira could do was cause heart attacks after all - but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get others to attack them. 

Light had taken a night to find the solution. The perfect mixture of plausible deniability for Light Yagami and suspicious activity for Kira. He was going back over the cases he legally had access to as Light Yagami when he saw Daīchi Adani and everything clicked. 

In his Nightmare, it had been towards the end of his time as Kira ( ~~towards the end of his life~~ ) when he had tracked down and eliminated the Adani crime family. A mixture of Yakuza and old world mafia, the Adani’s had slipped under Kira’s radar for years. Dealing in drugs, sex trafficking, and a whole slew of other criminal activities, they were among the worst of the worst. They kept word of themselves off the street through corrupt cops like Kō Hashimoto. Unfortunately for them, Hashimoto had wanted onto L’s team, and he’d slipped.  ~~Light/L/~~ Kira had found them and killed them all.

In this time, the Adani’s were still awful, still criminal. Hashimoto was still corrupt. They had been at it for years by the time Light found the Death Note. Light had the perfect alibi in the Adani’s. He had Daīchi Adani’s file from a past case; they had their fingers in the police; if one of their own died in a busjacking that conveniently featured an FBI agent, it would stand to reason they would be upset and want to know  _why_. Why was the FBI investigating them? Just abduct the agent to find out. Some kid from the NPA busts in and ruins their night? Track him back to the office and storm the castle.

It was a bit dramatic, even for Light’s tastes, but it was within reason of what the Yakuza could and would do. He had taken the rest of Sunday night to write out his elaborate plans for each Adani Yakuza. They read something like: Kidnap FBI agent living in Hotel 23; take him to your hideout; keep him there until you learn of the NPA’s involvement; take the NPA’s offices; no-one is injured during any of this; upon leaving the NPA office, dies of a heart attack in 40 seconds. 

A few of the Adani’s had modified entries; only three were needed for the abduction, and so on, but otherwise that was the bones of Light’s plan. He was originally going to send the NPA after the Yakuza, but then L had thrown a wrench solidly into that part of the plan. Light had improvised and gone after the Yakuza himself. Once there, he’d figured he’d have to trigger the next phase of the Death Note somehow - by revealing himself to the Yakuza as related to the NPA, of course. Attempting to rescue Penber was the best way to make it look natural, otherwise Light would have been stuck with wandering into Yakuza HQ off the street and randomly announcing, ‘Freeze, I’m from the NPA’. 

There were enough Yakuza for Light to make failing at saving Penber look natural as well. How could anyone expect a scrawny 17 year old bookworm to defeat a gang? Even then, yet another wrench was thrown into Light’s plan. He was starting to think the universe was out to get him. Saitō, the inconvenient freak occurrence. Light had thought he’d gotten all the mobsters in his Nightmare. He wasn’t sure now if his Nightmare self had failed to find Saitō or if Saitō had been so long dead at that point that his name and face had simply never come up. Light may never know. But Saitō had not been under the influence of the Note, and he had been free to act every part the criminal that he was. He shot Light! He dared to  _shoot_   **god**! 

Light wanted to write his name down as soon as he was cleared to go home. But, he gritted his teeth; he hadn’t been updated on the situation at the NPA offices yet by his father. Saitō could already be dead or worse, under arrest. He couldn’t very well kill Saitō now after he woke up in hospital, when all the other Yakuza died while he was unconscious. Being unconscious while the Yakuza died helped to lift suspicion from Light - which he’d heaped upon himself in full by going after Penber alone - but Light would ruin everything if he killed Saitō now. He may as well get the man to write ‘Light Yagami is Kira’. Light also didn’t know his full name, so there was that. He couldn’t kill Saitō yet, no matter how much he wanted to. 

Light could only hope Saitō hadn’t done anything too bad. He could have injured someone while the Yakuza sieged the NPA. He could have resisted arrest and hurt someone then. Hell, he might even now be telling L all about Light’s little speech at their hideout. It…wasn’t Light’s finest moment. As tired and as angry as he had been at the time, he had phrased things a little bit more Kira-like than he’d meant to. Now, he could only hope that he was still on the fine line of very-suspicious-but-not-suspicious-enough with L. 

Looking down at his Shinigami where he was snoozing on the linoleum floor of Light’s hospital room, Light thought to himself,  _I’m going to kill him when we get home_. Ryuk had known that Light had missed Saitō when writing down the Yakuza’s names. That’s why he laughed. Instead of warning Light, he had laughed.

Light wanted to glare at the Shinigami but sighed instead. He knew Ryuk was only in this for his own amusement. Seeing Light face down a glaring mistake like that was amusing.  _Distracted by a stray cat, my ass,_  Light mused.  _You just wanted to watch me squirm_.

Ryuk snorted and rolled over in his sleep. Light rolled his eyes and settled back in his uncomfortable hospital bed. He crossed his arms and definitely did not sulk while he waited for his mother to return from talking to his doctor. Sayu had gone home earlier in the day to get things ready for Light (which Light took to mean she didn’t want to miss the Hideki Ryuga Special Show she had been telling him about for weeks, and so was likely at one of her friend’s houses watching the concert). His father had left to attend the Friday briefing at the NPA.

It was Friday afternoon now. Light was bored. Mildly in pain from the gaping bullet wound in his shoulder and numb from pain killers, but bored. He had criminals lined up to die for weeks in advance, but he hadn’t done anything as Kira for over 24 hours and it was starting to get to him. It was like an itch he couldn’t scratch; it was everywhere, in the corners of his mind and under his skin.  _Soon_ , he assured himself.  _Very soon_.

It was 1562 seconds before his mother returned with his doctor. (Not that Light was counting.) “Can I leave now?” Light didn’t mean to ask quite so eagerly. 

His mother chuckled. “Yes, dear. Doctor Takada says you can come home now.”

Light smiled so strongly at that, he was afraid he’d pull a muscle. He swung his legs off the bed, making sure to kick straight through Ryuk’s skull on the way (causing the Shinigami to awaken with an aborted snort). His hospital gown fluttered around his bare legs and he quickly pinned it down to regain some dignity.

“Not so fast,” Doctor Takada announced. “You have to promise me you’ll rest, young man. We can’t have you running off to fight anymore criminals now.”

Light plastered a polite smile on his face. “No, of course not,” he said without showing an ounce of how badly he wanted out of this situation. He was not fond of hospitals, nor doctors, and especially not people who thought they could order him around. Was the crime of treating him like a child evil enough to be Noteworthy…? 

“I’m writing you a prescription for some very strong painkillers,” the doctor told Light, oblivious to the red glare behind Light’s amber eyes. “Now, they have some side effects…”

“Like what?” Light asked, surprised.

“Like nausea and drowsiness, and they may cloud your mental faculties for a time, so I wouldn’t take them before any exams,” Takada joked. “But otherwise they are quite fine.” 

“Do I have to take them?” Light asked obstinately. 

“Light!” Sachiko scolded her son.

He put on a repentant look.

“Only if you don’t want to be in excruciating pain,” Doctor Takada told Light sternly.

Light frowned briefly, and then returned to being the smiling, perfect son he knew he needed to be. “Of course, Doctor. I’m sorry for being short; I’m in quite a bit of pain…”

“Oh Light…” Sachiko looked like she was about to cry. Light cursed silently and put on his game face. 

“I’ll take some of that medicine now, please,” he told the doctor. 

Sachiko came over to Light to fuss over him. She brushed his hair into place, and flattened the shoulders of his hospital gown, and Light grumbled good-naturedly the whole while. A nurse appeared soon enough with Light’s medicine and a plastic cup of water. Light hesitated only fractionally before downing the two pills. He hated to think what this would do to his intelligence. His mind was the only thing he really had, after all. 

On the bright side, the pain was gone in a matter of minutes. He reported as much to the doctor, who made a note of it, and released Light from the hospital. His mother signed the release forms while Light took the change of clothes his mother had brought him to the bathroom. His limbs were stiff, which made it difficult to put on his usual attire of casual-formal clothes (so many uncooperative buttons), and after far too long struggling against fate, Light caved and put on the sensible sweater and khakis his mother had brought as the alternate option. He stared at himself for a moment in the bathroom mirror, struck with a sense of déjà vu.

He reminded himself of…himself. Not Kira. Not the carefully cultivated likeness of his Nightmare self he had been meticulously recreating, but just…himself. Light Yagami. The Light he had seen in the mirror while investigating Yotsuba, the Light that had reflected back at him in the glass of a helicopter…

Light shook his head, shaking off the thought the way a dog might shake off water.

\- - -

A day earlier, a laptop featuring a white screen and a stylised ‘L’ sat before Raye Penber on a desk. He was locked inside an interrogation room at the NPA, for a debriefing on what happened to him over the last 24 hours.

“Raye Penber,” L’s modulated voice buzzed through. “How are you?”

“Fine,” Raye answered, a little intimidated. He was worried about the repercussions for his career being kidnapped by Yakuza would have.

“You aren’t injured?” L prompted. “Physically or psychologically?”

“No,” Penber answered confidently.

“So the Yakuza did nothing to interrogate or harm you?”

“No…?” Penber answered slowly.

“I see.” L was silent for a long minute. “Please describe the events of the night in sequence, and in as much detail as you are able.”

Penber nodded. “I came home at around 8pm. The apartment was empty and I did not know where Naomi was. After around half an hour, there was a knock at the door. I answered it and was hit over the head by a Yakuza. He was around my height with a shaven head, Japanese in appearance, in a dark suit and tie. He had two others with him, but I did not get a good look at them. There was a struggle, the first man took hold of my gun, and I was knocked unconscious.

“I came to in the same building you found me in. I was there for hours, and the Yakuza left me alone. I was tied to a chair with cable ties around my arms and legs. After a number of hours of captivity, Light Yagami broke into the room and attempted to free me from the restraints. He successfully cut through all but two when he was interrupted by the Yakuza. They had finally come back, perhaps to interrogate me or perhaps because they had spotted Yagami. In either case, the man that came in was very large set, and muscular. He was around 6’5”. He had short dark hair, and was also wearing a dark suit. He threatened Yagami with a gun but Yagami was not intimidated by him. Yagami recognised the man and called him by name - Haruto Suzuki - as a power play. It might have worked by the rest of the Yakuza came into the room. Yagami stood in front of me protectively. I told him to run but he refused.

“One of the other Yakuza stepped forward and threatened Yagami with a gun. Yagami immediately backed down and attempted negotiations. The Yakuza had a noticeable scar on the right side of his face. He ordered Yagami and myself to the ground. I complied but Yagami would not. Yagami asked the man his name. He replied ‘Saitō’. Yagami introduced himself as Chief Yagami of the NPA’s son and threatened Saitō with action from the NPA. Saitō was unperturbed and threatened to kill Yagami. Yagami fled the scene.”

“Light Yagami asked for Saitō’s name?” L quickly confirmed.

“Yes,” Raye said. “He probably wanted to know so he could speak with Saitō on a name-basis, establishing trust so the Yakuza would have less reason to kill him.”

“…Probably,” L agreed. “Thank you for your time, Penber-san. You may go home with Misora-san now.”

\- - -

The scarred Yakuza sat numbly at the interrogation desk. He was handcuffed to the steel, locked in the room, with only a blank laptop sitting just out of reach to keep him company. Saitō wasn’t the biggest or toughest of the Adani family. Hell, he wasn’t even an Adani. He, one could put it, married into the family. He was a nobody with a big mouth and a bigger attitude. But all of that had been silenced in a heartbeat as his life was stolen by Kira.

Certainly, Saitō lived on, but he felt hollow. What was there to live for when everyone he knew and cared about was dead? Had died around him in a unified and desperate last gasp of air? He couldn’t think of anything. At least, not yet.

As the laptop screen lit up and revealed a dark, stylised ‘L’, it occurred to Saitō that if he couldn’t live with his family, he could die for them. His normally hot temper had turned cold as death. And revenge, they say, is a dish best served cold.

“Tarou Saitō,” L began. “I am L. You may have heard about me from your friends, the Adani crime family.”

“I have heard of you,” Saitō growled lowly. “You’re supposed to be catching that motherfucker who killed my family. Who couldn’t have killed my family if you’d just done your fucking job already.”

“Language,” L tutted. Then, with affected sympathy, “I understand your pain, Saitō-san. Kira has taken a lot from many people, myself included.”

“Oh yeah?” Saitō challenged. “Like what?”

“A loved one,” L spun. “Someone you wouldn’t know.”

“How convenient,” Saitō spat.

“No need to be so belligerent,” L said gently. “We’re on the same side in this, Saitō-san. We both want to catch Kira.”

“He deserves to die for what he did to my family,” Saitō hissed and slammed his cuffed fists against the table. “What’re you gonna do about it, huh? They’re dead! And everyone knows you can’t catch Kira!”

“I can,” L stated firmly. “And will.”

Saitō hmphed and made to cross his arms (he didn’t get very far).

“Saitō-san, was there anything unusual about last night?”

Saitō raised a sceptical half-eyebrow. “You mean other than everyone I know dying?”

“Yes.”

“Well when you put it like that,” Saitō mumbled sardonically. Then, louder, “That dumbass kid asked me my fucking name instead of getting on the ground. Fucking idiot.”

The laptop hummed quietly for a long while. Saitō started tapping his foot impatiently. Eventually the detective spoke up again, “Why do you think Kira let you live?”

Saitō frowned. “I dunno. That creep motherfucker probably didn’t get a good look at my face or some shit.”

“Or he didn’t know your name,” L told him. Saitō cocked his head to the side.

“He needs a name to kill?”

“Yes,” L answered truthfully.

“Why the fuck are you telling me this?”

“Because we want the same thing, Saitō-san. Even if you don’t believe me.”

“…” Saitō leant as far back in his seat as he was able. His face tilted up to the ceiling, giving L a good look at the garish scar that continued down from his eye to his neck. “Masamune-sensei stopped this from becoming fatal, y’know. I used to live a pretty fucked up life before he took me in.” He huffed out a laugh. “Got a new name to go with my new face.” He gestured sharply at the scarring.

“The name you gave us is an alias,” L concluded.

“Hells yeah it is,” Saitō growled, “and I ain’t fucking telling you my real name so don’t ask.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” L said, with a hint of amusement. “I ran the numbers last night, Saitō-san. Most of the men who died last night had no criminal record and were not known to law enforcement. They were, by your own testament, members of the Yakuza and therefore likely guilty of some crime, but they weren’t on the police radar. Kira had no way of knowing your names and faces… unless he knows you personally.”

“What?!” Saitō gasped.

“Kira is someone who knows the Adani crime family. That is an important clue. Saitō-san,” L paused for dramatic tension, “if you can help me follow this clue, I will see you released on probation for the kidnap of Raye Penber and the armed assault on the NPA offices. You will, essentially, be free. Do you take the deal?”

“Fuck you,” Saitō spat. “You want me to sell out my friends. I’m no rat.”

“One of your ‘friends’ just killed your family,” L said, low and menacing. “Think about it, Saitō-san. Kira isn’t your friend.”

Saitō frowned but didn’t say anything further.

L held back a sigh. “Enjoy your stay in prison, Saitō-san. You’ll be there a long time.”

The laptop went blank.

\- - -

Realisation, clarity, had come in one sweet moment -  _he asked for his name_ \- and percentages skyrocketed from 5 to 500. L had never felt surer of anything in his life (except perhaps that jam donuts were the devils work). It was what came after this moment of clarity that was causing him grief.

Doubt had crept in almost immediately. Opportunity,  **tick** , means  **tick** (sort of, L was working on it), but motive? Did Kira need one other than chaos? …Yes, and Light Yagami had no reason to throw a Yakuza gang about in the manner he did. Not only that, but he had no reasonable way of knowing their names in time to kill them. Most of them should be alive, not just Saitō. Kira, for all his powers, was not omniscient. He could not know these men’s names from thin air. He had to know them personally or have spent a long time vetting them. He would have left a trail, a connection to them, something L could follow, chase like a dog after a car.

And yet - something didn’t sit right about Light Yagami. He asked strange Kira-like questions, he was suspiciously reappearing in the investigation every time L thought he was rid of him, and he was, by all reports, quite intelligent. Could he be Kira? L didn’t claim to understand his thought process if he were Kira, but the possibility was there. Unlikely, but again so likely.

It was…unnerving.

\- - -

L’s interviews with Raye Penber and Tarou Saitō were informative, easy and reasonably pleasant. The same could not be said for his interview with the FBI director in charge of the agents sent to Japan.

“I have Washington breathing down my neck, and I expect a call from the head of the NPA, to demand my blood, any minute now,” he complained loudly. “I have to pull my men out now, L, before this turns into an international incident. And before one of them gets killed rather than just kidnapped.”

“Penber wasn’t injured,” L argued. “He wasn’t even interrogated.”

“But he was abducted, by men likely controlled and killed by Kira,” was the rejoinder. “I’d like to help you L, really I would, but unlike you I have people to answer to. They aren’t even unanimously of the opinion that Kira is evil. After all, he didn’t kill anyone in the FBI or NPA, even though he had the chance to. Only that receptionist was shot.”

“Hayao Honda. He’ll live,” L corrected him dimly. “Is there nothing you can do?”

“My hands are tied, L,” the director said firmly. “Kira might have killed more Americans than any other people, but ever since you pointed him out as living in Japan, the killings have been concentrated in the Kanto Region. My government wants no more part in this, and even you’re not powerful enough to fight them and win.”

“…Thank you for your help,” L said in lieu of anything better to say.

The director laughed shortly, humourlessly. “I hope we can work together on a different case. Goodbye.”

L stared at the phone, the dull tone of the dead line ringing in its earpiece. He gingerly placed the phone on the hardwood floor beside his laptop and strode over to the bay window. The cityscape was beautiful at night. It was Thursday night. L observed the star Betelgeuse twinkling dimly in the light polluted sky. He wondered mildly when he’d last eaten…and grew concerned when he deduced it had been sometime Wednesday.

Having acknowledged the pangs of hunger, they became very apparent and demanding very swiftly. L called Watari, his savour in sugar-dusted armour.

\- - -

Sōichirō had not expected many officers to return to the Kira Headquarters on Friday morning. He hoped that maybe a dozen or so would be brave enough to fight for justice, but feared that he would walk into an empty room. He checked the time on his watch before opening the door. 0900. Time to face the music.

“Glad to have you back, chief,” Matsuda stood to greet his partner.

The office was very empty. Of the numerous officers that had been assigned to the task force, only five remained. Aizawa, Ukita, Mogi, Ide and Matsuda. Somehow, Sōichirō had never doubted that Matsuda would be there.

“Just five…” he said aloud, shaken. “No…I should say as many as five of you are willing to lay your lives on the line.” He walked to his desk at the front of the room. “With myself, that’s six of us… How are we going to do this with just six people…?”

Matsuda was like a sun in otherwise dead space. “There’s L, which makes it seven. Add Watari and we have eight, chief.”

From the laptop situated in front of Watari, L’s computer-modified voice added, “I have great faith in those of you who are brace and committed enough to remain.”

Ide gave Aizawa  _a look_. Clearly the man was not brave enough to voice his doubts by himself. “L said he has great faith in us, but,” Aizawa said on Ide’s behalf, “ **we**  don’t have faith in L We can’t trust him! He’ll continue to turn this into an internal investigation, when he has no proof that Kira is in the NPA.”

L was silent, waiting for the men to have their say. 

“We’ve decided to risk our lives to get Kira, L,” Ide stated, somewhat awkwardly. “You ought to know what that means. We’re totally exposed.”

“But you just order us around without ever showing your face,” Aizawa added.

“We’ll go after Kira, L, but we can’t work with you,” Ukita joined their side.

“It’s not just us. The public doesn’t trust you either. People are turning against you,” they argued. “What do you expect?! If people say it’s L’s fault the NPA was attacked, who can deny it?”

Sōichirō clasped his hands in front of his face thoughtfully. “It’s true that a number of criminal psychologists have suggested that L is Kira. In other words, they’re saying that L has a split personality… The FBI was brought in by L to investigate the NPA. The FBI are pulling out due to the dangers posed to their agents. The deaths of the Yakuza prove that Kira was either orchestrating the entire event or that he was in the NPA that night, watching everything that happened. L was in a position to do either of those things…”

“That’s not all! If you consider everything that’s happened so far as being orchestrated by L, it all suddenly makes sense. The fact that he’s never shown himself to anyone, and that’s he’s a genius who can solve any crime, only makes that theory more convincing,” Ukita, Aizawa and Ide purported.

Sōichirō frowned, a statue of seriousness. Suddenly, he stood. “L… If you want to work with us and help us catch Kira, how about coming here to the task force in person?”

“Yeah,” Ide stood too, Aizawa and Ukita frowning at L’s laptop seriously. “If you show yourself to us and promise to be part of the team, we’ll trust you. We’ll cooperate with you.”

The laptop announced, “As I said earlier, I have great faith in you. Watari…” Watari looked at the screen, and then turned it around for everyone to see. L had written them a message.

**Please keep what is about to happen a secret among the eight of us.**

The detectives were surprised and confused.

**I would like to meet the six of you who have my trust as soon as possible. Do not speak of our meeting, or having met me, or what we will be doing, to anyone who is not in the room now. That includes anybody in the NPA, your families, and your friends. Please leave the NPA building to discuss whether you can swear to the above, and whether you can trust me. Only those who agree to work with me in this investigation shall return to the room, and I will send my further conditions for our meeting to this computer.**

\- - -

To say the task force members had been surprised to meet him would be an understatement. L had been a little amused by their reactions to his unorthodox appearances and behavioural quirks. Chief Yagami had nearly burst a vein when he drew on the tabletop in permanent marker. L had interviewed each of the five men who had decided to trust him (Hideki Ide had opted out, not that L was surprised) and concluded within seconds of talking with them that they weren’t Kira. If they were, he’d find one of his shoes and eat it (L was reasonably sure Watari had a stash of his shoes somewhere).

So L was left with a team of five brave men to try to catch the worst serial killer the world had ever known. The FBI, Interpol and even most of the NPA has abandoned L to fight the battle for the soul of the world alone. But not these men.

 _I’m not so alone_ , L thought now, looking around at the NPA detectives that were brave enough to not only go up against Kira, but against their own organisation. They were prepared to follow L down what would be a very dangerous path. L still wasn’t convinced that Kira wouldn’t kill them when they backed him into a corner. But that was a concern for future L, for now he had to actually find Kira first.

\- - -

Perhaps most surprisingly (or least surprisingly; L felt in hindsight he really should have seen this one coming), he received an angry call from Naomi Misora on Friday morning. L had finished interviewing each of the five NPA detectives that had decided to trust him, swiftly concluding that none of them were Kira.

They were discussing strategy in L’s hotel room, theories on who Kira could be being flung about like so much cotton candy, when L’s phone rang. He answered and Watari informed him that, “A rather irritable Ms Misora is on the line for you.”

L’s brows raised in bemusement. “Put her through.”

While the NPA officers grumbled about the unfairness of L having a phone when they weren’t allowed to, L said good morning to Naomi.

“L!” she exclaimed immediately. “Raye said the FBI is pulling out of the Kira investigation! Is that true?”

“Yes.” L wondered why she didn’t believe her fiancé. “The NPA has mostly resigned as well.”

“…” Naomi let out a low half-growl. “Kira will get away with it at this rate!”

L’s toes curled. “Kira won’t get away with anything. I have some very dedicated officers helping me.”

“That’s not enough!” Naomi scowled so fiercely L could swear he felt its fire through the receiver. “Raye wants to go home to America. I’m staying here to finish the job!”

“You are?” L asked in amazement. “Misora-san, I could never ask you to give up your life like that-”

“L,” Naomi said firmly. “Kira abducted my fiancé. He killed all those men right on the NPA’s doorstep. I want to know why. I’ll find him by myself if I have to, but I’d rather work with you.”

“…Please let Penber-san know that I will pay for you both to stay in Japan for the duration of the investigation,” L offered. He observed the NPA detectives straightening at the mention of money. L was wealthy enough to afford to fast track the building of his own investigation headquarters. He could certainly afford to hire a few loyal detectives, should it come down to it. For the time being, the NPA was paying their wages.

“You’d do that for us?” Naomi said. “Thank you, L. I’ll let him know. He might…change his mind about staying here to help the investigation. He wants to bring Kira to justice as much as I do, but we’re trying to start a family and he doesn’t want to risk his job…”

L grimaced at the thought of more interpersonal communication, but offered, “I’ll speak to his supervisors at the FBI on his behalf.”

“L…” Naomi sounded amazed. L’s toes clenched in discomfort. “Thank you. Where can I meet the other detectives to join the investigation?”

“I’ll have Watari collect you,” L decided. “I look forward to working with you, Misora-san.”

\- - -

“You want  _Light Yagami_  on the investigation team?”

In hindsight, L really, really should have seen that one coming. He’d kick himself if he was frozen in his seat in horror.

“Are you out of your minds?” he asked the team calmly.

Sōichirō blustered and started turning beet red, while Naomi crossed her arms stubbornly. The other detectives looked between them and L awkwardly, like they were watching a tennis match.

“L, you aren’t suggesting that  _my son_ is Kira-?” Sōichirō spluttered.

“Yes-” L managed before Naomi cut in.

“He was with me when those men died- I’d know if he killed them!”

“Yes but-”

“Light has never even been grounded!” Sōichirō was gesticulating vehemently on each syllable. “He’s my son! I’d know if he was a murderer!”

“I don’t doubt that but-“

“Light-san brought me into the investigation! Why would he do that if he were Kira? We’ve been over this already, L!”

“I know but you see-”

“You have no proof that my son is Kira!”

“Light-san was injured trying to save my fiancé. Why would Kira not just kill the Yakuza if he weren’t in their side? Which he wasn’t because they all died later!”

“That may be but-”

“Didn’t we agree Kira is in law enforcement?” Matsuda asked Aizawa behind his hand. It did little to shield him from the stares of Sōichirō, Naomi and L, which all turned on him like spotlights. Matsuda shrank and waved his hands dismissively. “It-it’s nothing, really, I, um…”

“Yagami-san, Misora-san,” L said, now that the tidal wave of their tirades has been broken by Matsuda. “My interviews with Raye Penber and Tarou Saitō indicated that Light Yagami did some strange things that night. It’s possible that he is Kira, but-” L held up his hands, with seven fingers up. “There’s only a seven percent chance that he’s Kira. There is a 83 percent chance Kira is connected to law enforcement, an 8 percent chance that Kira is someone Raye Penber followed before the Yakuza abducted him, a one percent chance Kira is in the Adani crime family and not connected to law enforcement, and a one percent chance we are looking in the wrong place.”

Sōichirō breathed a sigh of relief. “Well why didn’t you say so in the first place.” He laughed aloud. “There’s no way my son is Kira, but we should investigate it anyway, if only to close that lead so we can focus on better ones.”

L blinked slowly. “I attempted to tell you and Misora-san earlier, but you were busy defending Light Yagami. He has gotten under everyone’s skin awfully well.”

Naomi gave L a look that said she knew what he was doing and it wasn’t going to work. “Light-san has done nothing but help the investigation. He’s very bright. He’s solved cases for the NPA in the past. Kira’s actions have even wounded him. He has every right to join the investigation. I think we’d be negligent to dismiss his help.”

The other detectives nodded along in agreement. “I’ve worked with Yagami-kun before,” Matsuda said. “He solved this difficult murder case in about twenty minutes. We’d been at it for two months!”

Aizawa nodded seriously. “I think it’s a good idea to have Light Yagami join the investigation, but only if we’re sure he’s not Kira.”

“It would compromise the investigation, otherwise,” Ukita added.

Mogi nodded in his stoic manner.

L looked at the faces around him, each serious in their desire to have Light join the Kira investigation. If L was being honest with himself, he’d say it wasn’t the worst idea in the world (…and that he was curious to know more about this Light Yagami). So, he sighed and slumped dramatically in his chair, knees still tucked up. “Okay, you win. I’ll ask Light Yagami to join the investigation - after I’ve vetted him as Kira or not.”

“Good,” Sōichirō said. “How are we going to do that?”

“We could bring him in for questioning,” Matsuda suggested.

“If he’s Kira, he’d know who we are, and kill us,” Ukita argued.

“We could hide our faces, like L did,” Matsuda countered.

“He still knows who we are, idiot.” Aizawa rolled his eyes. “If he thinks the NPA is into him, what’s to stop him killing us all?”

Matsuda frowned, and ran a tired hand through his dishevelled hair. He hadn’t taken the day off yesterday, like Chief Yagami suggested, instead staying in to work the case. He had stubble on his face, bags under his eyes, and was still in Wednesday’s clothes.

“I suggest we perform surveillance on the Yagami and Kitamura households,” L said into the thoughtful silence.

“WHAT?!” Sōichirō leapt from his chair, knocking the coffee table and spilling L’s sugar stack.

“It’s the only way to be sure,” L said innocently.

“It’s illegal!” Sōichirō’s face was one of disbelief. “You said the suspicion on my son wasn’t that strong! It can’t possibly justify this!”

L leant forward to start compulsively straightening up his sugar cubes. “If Yagami-san would rather his son not join the investigation…”

Sōichirō let out a heavy breath and dropped back into his seat on the lounge. “If we’re doing this, we need to do it completely.”

“What-?” Matsuda sprang to his feet. “Chief, you can’t be serious!”

“Yeah,” Aizawa said, “what about your wife and daughter?”

“Yagami-san and I will be the only ones to watch the Yagami family,” L proposed. “Misora-san can watch the Kitamura’s, while everyone else can start the internal investigation.”

There was some grumbling and chatter as everyone talked the plan over. L let them take their time, occupying himself with dropping sugar cube after cube into his tea until it was more akin to sugar with tea than tea with sugar.

“Okay,” Sōichirō addressed L on everyone’s behalf after a time. “We’ll agree to this plan.”

“But,” Naomi held up a finger, “on one condition.”

“What’s that?” L asked.

“Start simple,” Naomi said. “One camera per room. If we see anything suspicious, we can increase the number of cameras.” L looked like he wanted to protest so she added, “Light-san is on his way home from the hospital. We don’t have time to install many cameras, and likely won’t for a number of days. So it’s not much of a compromise.”

L sipped his sugar thoughtfully. “Okay, one weekend with those conditions. As soon as Light Yagami is well enough to leave the house, we install as many as I deem necessary.”

\- - -

Light felt like he was floating as he walked back into his home, Sachiko and Ryuk at his side. The pain killers were messing with his head; everything seemed like it was playing in slow motion. He’d normally have every scenario figured out long before he got there; almost hear what someone was going to say before they said it. It wasn’t that hard to guess what was going on in people’s heads. But now? Light could hardly figure out what was going on in his own head. Pain be damned, he wasn’t taking anymore of those pills.

Sayu launched herself at him when she saw he was home. “Light! How are you? How’s your shoulder?” She prodded at it, which Light distantly registered as supposed to be painful.

“I’m fine,” Light answered, smiling numbly. “How’s Hideki?”

Sayu blushed and punched his arm lightly. “Meanie!” She averted her eyes for a moment. “He’s fine too.”

Light chuckled and looped his good arm around his sister’s shoulders, steering her to the lounge where they collapsed to watch the Hideki Ryuga Special.

Hours passed, Sachiko made her family Light’s favourite for dinner, and Sōichirō never came home. Light gave up waiting for his dad at 10pm, and hustled his sleepy sister off to bed. It was a Friday night sure, but Light was exhausted, so he planned to spend maybe an hour writing in the Death Note and then, finally, blissful sleep awaited… (Lying unconscious in hospital just didn’t live up to its reputation.)

Light bid Sayu goodnight and meandered over to his room, stifling a yawn as he went. He looked down at the slip of paper in his door and frowned. His mother had been the last in his room, getting a change of clothes for him, so why was the paper back in the door? Light couldn’t use his door handle and pencil lead tests to double check, but he had a sinking suspicion that someone else had been in his room…

So no writing in the Note tonight. He couldn’t even ask Ryuk to start checking, because if he did and the place was bugged, he was screwed. Light opened his bedroom door reluctantly and found Ryuk napping on his bed. Light was glad for the brief respite while he tried to figure out what to do. He had been ordered bed rest, and so was virtually under house arrest. How to get outside alone for long enough to explain the situation to Ryuk? If the cameras were anything like in the Nightmare, Light wouldn’t have the privacy to scratch his nose, let alone write Ryuk an explanation. …And Ryuk wanted to eat apples and play Mario Golf. Light was royally boned.

Light sneakily gathered up his night clothes while trying not to look like he was stealthily avoiding waking anyone, then headed off for a well-earned bath. A long soak to clear his head. (The meds were not helping him think around the problem.)

Light scrubbed himself down, happy to be rid of the anaesthetic stink of hospitals. The bath was hot, perhaps a little on the side of too much so, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He very nearly fell asleep while in the tub. His nose dipped beneath the surface eventually and startled him awake. He rubbed at his tired eyes and knew he needed a slow weekend.

He would have liked to stay in and murder criminals, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

Light decided his bed was the nicest thing he’d ever experienced when he flopped down beside Ryuk. The Shinigami was invisible but corporeal, and took up most of the bed space. Light slinked in beside him, aware he couldn’t well kick an invisible someone off his bed in front of a potential viewership of the World’s Greatest Detective. (That would be a red flag if there ever were one.)

\- - -

L watched Light Yagami lay himself down to sleep. The teen twisted himself into an odd position on his bed, obviously finding it comfortable, and promptly dropped off to sleep. L wondered just how little rest he had been getting before the Yakuza incident, because blood loss and gunshot wound or no, L didn’t think it was normal for people to rest this much. …Well, maybe not normal for L. Light Yagami seemed like a very normal boy.

Apart from the genius level IQ, fearless attempt to rescue Raye Penber, and the possibility - however slight (or slightly massive, L couldn’t decide) - that he was a mass murderer.

L knew he was pushing the faith of the NPA and so he had neglected to mention to them that he’d already enacted his plan to spy on Light Yagami and Hana Kitamura before he told them. With minimal time, he had ordered one camera and bug per room. He wanted to go all out, dozens of cameras in their rooms and more in their houses, to make doubly sure they weren’t Kira. Especially Light Yagami, since not only Naomi, now also his father wanted him on the task force. L would be the biggest fool in the universe to let the killer investigate himself, so he wanted to be certain. He could not afford to let Kira gain the upper hand again. He had had the element of surprise working for him when he orchestrated the Yakuza Incident, but now L was prepared for any further tricks. L was convinced Kira had orchestrated the Incident, because it was far too coincidental and convenient to be anything but the work of Kira. The FBI and NPA agreed with him for once, which was actually to his detriment. Most refused to work against Kira now, feeling that the Incident was a warning. Sort of a ‘you mess with me, I’ll do more than throw Yakuza at you’.

So while L had the NPA focus in on the internal investigation - looking for law enforcement officials with ties to the Adani family - he had Naomi join him on the Light Yagami / Hana Kitamura watch. She had volunteered to continue with the investigation, despite Raye’s vehement protests, and who was L to reject her? Still, he almost wished he’d put her on the internal investigation as well, because the minute he told her his plan to illegally spy on the two teenagers, he was subject to a disapproving scowl the likes of which he’d only ever seen on Watari when he decided to try to make his own sweets. Naomi had talked his down to one camera and bug per room, which was an unhappy compromise on both their parts.

L had intently watched Light Yagami watch TV dramas for most of the night, take a long soak, and fall asleep. All in all, his behaviour didn’t scream Kira, but then maybe he was having an off night. After all, no newly broadcast criminals had died since Light Yagami was shot (not including the Yakuza).

Hana Kitamura, on the other hand, watched the news, frowned at a news piece on a serial killer, and talked on the phone with a friend for over an hour. L had Naomi on Kitamura Watch, while he manned Yagami Watch. Naomi had tagged out with Watari once Hana had gone to sleep, citing she needed to go home and mend bridges with Raye before he returned to America in a huff.

L didn’t tag out with anyone. He could afford to miss sleep for a few days and watch Light Yagami.

\- - -

Saturday was difficult. Light tried to sneak out of the house four times, and was stopped each time by his concerned mother. Sachiko hovered like a hawk. Even when Light thought he had slipped her, she reappeared like a bad penny. He gave up trying to get out by lunch time, and came up with a Plan B.

If he couldn’t escape, explain the situation to Ryuk, and write some new criminals in the Death Note, he’d need to find some way to at least get some new criminals down or else L would peg him as Kira right away. If he was watching. Light sincerely hoped he was, otherwise he was making a fool of himself for no good reason.

Light sat at his desk for a few minutes, staring blankly at his open calculus textbook, trying to think outside the box. He couldn’t even go out for long enough to buy himself that funky little TV and bag of potato chips his Nightmare self had used… His Nightmare! That was it!

Light had kept aside reserves of future criminals he remembered from his Nightmare for a rainy day like this one. He couldn’t squander them all in one day and kill his usual amount as Kira, but he could kill a dozen or so and at least indicate that he wasn’t Kira. Kira was just taking it easy over New Year’s. That would be all L could conclude.

Now how to write them down without being observed…?

Light’s gaze was drawn to his bookcase and its hollowed out architectural encyclopaedias. He had Death Note pages, what was left of his yaoi collection, and straight porn stashed away there. He knew he’d have to crack out the semi-naked lady magazines sooner or later to explain away the paper in his door (and to reassure Sōichirō if he was watching), and so he’d have to avoid pulling out his yaoi (also because of his father, because if Sōichirō knew he’d kept some? He wouldn’t need to worry about L sending him to the electric chair; he’d be dead long before that). That left, what? Just blatantly writing out criminals names in front of L and hoping he didn’t put it together?

Light’s forehead connected with his desk with a dull thud. His  _everything_  hurt too much for this right now. But being Kira was a responsibility he couldn’t shirk. And the challenge of beating L at his own game was quite thrilling in its own right.

Light’s brain wanted a break. It was screaming at him to rest for a day. But Light wouldn’t be caught on his laurels. He had the names, faces and paper he needed. Then murder weapon was sitting innocuously on his desk. He picked it up, twirling the pen in his fingers for a long minute. Truly, the pen was mightier than the sword. More efficient too.

Suddenly it struck him. The perfect alibi was hiding in his bookcase the entire time.

\- - -

L watched Light Yagami like a hawk. The teen seemed normal. He looked normal (well, handsome-normal), presumably smelled normal and tasted normal (L hadn’t had the fortune to check yet) so therefore he must be normal. Regardless of the aforementioned evidence, there was something about Light Yagami. Something  _not normal_. 

 _Why ask for Saitō’s name, Kira?_ L queried the image of Light seated at his desk.  _You obviously intended for there to be no witnesses to your crimes that night. You would have killed Saitō given the chance. So, how did you know everyone’s name but his? Did you hack the NPA’s criminal database…? Not all of the dead men were on it. Did you have dealings with the Adani crime family personally…? You’re a normal, straight A student. Nothing criminally organised about you._

_Why leave Penber alive? Why leave Naomi and Matsuda alive? Why be present yourself that night? When you can easily manipulate things from a safe distance? Why allow yourself to be shot?_

_Why are you trying to mess with my head? How do you even know how to do so…?_

Light suddenly stood and went to his bookcase. L leaned towards the monitor, intrigued by the momentum. Light took an architectural encyclopaedia off the shelf, and turned it around to reveal a small collection of what appeared to be manga hidden inside. L’s eyes widened as he watched Light take a few sheets of note paper out from beside the manga. He placed the encyclopaedia back on the shelf and returned to his desk. Quite calmly, he selected a pen and began to write. Due to the one camera to which L had limited himself, he couldn’t make out the content of the writing. But Light Yagami was writing vigorously. He wrote for well over an hour before putting down his pen. He returned the paper to the hollow encyclopaedia and settled down on his bed with the television turned on to the news.

Criminals flashed before Light’s eyes, but the teen seemed to hardly be paying attention. In fact, he nodded off after only twenty or so minutes of true crime stories. Some Kira this kid was. L rolled his eyes, but the writing nagged at his mind. What was so important for Light to write like that when he was obviously tired and convalescing…?

Only one way to find out! L buzzed Watari and asked him to watch Light Yagami while he went to speak with Naomi and Sōichirō.

\- - -

It took some convincing, but Naomi eventually heard L out.

“Okay, okay.” She held her hands up in a ‘please no more’ gesture after L’s forty minute tirade finally cracked her resolve. “If I agree to putting as many cameras as you like in Light-san’s house tomorrow, you have to promise that you will only observe him for a week before you make your decision. Light-san is either Kira or he’ll join the task force and help us catch Kira.” She held out her hand.

L looked between his own hand and Naomi’s, sighed, grit his teeth against the thought of germs, and shook her hand firmly. It was a promise handshake after all; L wasn’t going to skimp on it.

“I swear to abide by your terms, Misora-sama,” L teased.

Naomi squeezed his hand harder than necessary. “Come on, L, I have to get back to watching Kitamura.”

L leant around Naomi to view the computer screen that broadcast Hana Kitamura’s bedroom. The young woman was writing in a journal so hot pink it should be a criminal offence. “I can’t arrest her for that,” L pointed a crooked finger at the diary. “But I want to.”

Naomi huffed as she flopped gracefully but heavily into the computer chair. “Tell me about it. Now I know why Raye was telling me he was so bored.”

\- - -

L hadn’t expected the news that he thought Sōichirō Yagami’s only son might be Kira to go down well with the superintendent, but he wasn’t prepared for the strength of the reaction when he brought it up for the second time in as many days.

The conversation went something like:

“We’ve been following up on NPA officers with ties to the Adani family, and have been cultivating a list of suspects,” Matsuda reported to L at the Saturday afternoon briefing. He laid out the lists of the table. L picked the top sheet up by the corner of the page and peered at the details.

“One of these men might be Kira,” L told the gathered detectives and former FBI agent. “Good work, everyone.” The detectives began congratulating each other and chatting about the case. L added casually, “By the way, Yagami-san, I think your son killed as Kira earlier today.”

Sōichirō had been taking an inconvenient sip of tea and did an immediate spit take. “WHAT?!” he roared, rounding on L. L, who was curled up in the love seat, straightened a little under the intimidating glare and the force of the pulsating vein in Sōichirō’s forehead. “How could you say that?!”

L’s thumb crawled up to his lip. “Well, Light-kun asked for Tarou Saitō’s name during his aborted rescue attempt. He didn’t know Tarou Saitō’s name, and Tarou Saitō was the only criminal to survive Kira’s slaughter that night. Convenient, don’t you think?”

Sōichirō slammed his open hands into the arm rests on either side of L, getting right up into the detective’s face. “My son is not a killer! And that doesn’t prove he killed anyone today!”

“Kira did kill twenty-one people today,” Matsuda reported grimly.

“That doesn’t prove Light did it,” Ukita retorted.

“That may be,” L stared Sōichirō down, unblinking. “Although, Light Yagami did watch crime reports and write down something today.”

Sōichirō deflated like a balloon and flopped back into the lounge. “You can’t think Kira kills by writing it down?” He rubbed his temples like he had a headache coming on.

“Why ever not?” L asked himself aloud.

“Are you alright, Chief?” Matsuda asked Sōichirō in concern. Sōichirō waved him off. Matsuda then turned on L. Spreading his arms plaintively, he asked, “Surely Yagami-kun would show some sign of killing while he did it.”

“Let’s says Kira kills just by imagining it,” Naomi added. “You’d imagine someone’s expression would change when killing.”

“That would be normal,” L agreed mildly. “Even so, Yagami-san, can you arrange for your family to be out of the house for, say, an hour tomorrow?”

“…” Sōichirō rubbed his temples tiredly. “I’ll do it.”

\- - -

The new cameras and bugs were installed in the Yagami house on Sunday morning. It took some angling on L’s behalf to convince Chief Yagami to take a night and day off and go home to be with his family, but he managed it…by promising he’d take a night off himself (it was laughable to think L didn’t have his toes crossed at that moment; he spent the night watching Light Yagami sleep, while going over all information on Kira again).

L would supervise the installation of the surveillance equipment from a distance, while Sōichirō took his family out of the house under some pretence. Brunch, L had suggested. He was very fond of brunch, who wasn’t? It was the perfect distraction.

L watched through the cameras, Naomi and the NPA detectives at his side, as Light Yagami awoke on Sunday morning. The teen stretched slowly, lazy like he didn’t have places to be and people to kill. L’s thumb tucked up to his mouth as Light reached his arms above his head, pyjama shirt riding up, and winced as his action pulled on his bullet hole. He put a hand over it like it could numb the pain, and said aloud, “Just have to wait it out a bit,” while looking off into the mid distance. (Or, L wondered, at something only he could see, like the night of the Yakuza attack.)

Light gathered a casual outfit of khakis and a smart sweater out of his closest, and laid it out on his bed. He started to get undressed. Matsuda dropped his gaze, embarrassed. Aizawa hit him in the arm. Naomi politely averted her eyes. L stared.

Light dressed quickly, perfunctorily, and hurried downstairs. “Good morning, mum,” he greeted Sachiko Yagami as she made breakfast in the kitchen. Light strolled by her and grabbed the orange juice out of the refrigerator. He poured himself a glass and drank deeply; head tilted back, throat working.

L stared at the screen, transfixed. Light Yagami was still acting so normal. L couldn’t wait to install all the (hundreds of) cameras so he could discover if Light had any hidden quirks, secrets, anything that indicated he was or wasn’t Kira.

… _Come to think of it, he does have a secret,_ L realised. His gaze zeroed in on Sōichirō as he entered the kitchen behind Light.  _A secret,_  L knew,  _that I have no right to disclose to the task force. It’s hardly relevant to the case…Although it does prove Light can keep a big secret from his family._

“Good morning,” Sōichirō said with false brightness. He sweated beneath his collar and looked awkward in his own kitchen. L’s fingers clenched around his knees. If Sōichirō gave them away-

“Dad!” Light barely saved himself from doing a spit take as he spun around to see his father. He looked stunned. “You’re home!”

Sōichirō’s smile was taunt. “Yes. My boss gave us the day off.”

“Oh.” Light quickly hid his surprise. L caught the look and frowned. Like Light Yagami knew him so well… “It’s good that you're home. I have some questions for you.”

 _Straight to the point_ , L observed.  _Eager, Kira? To see how you destroyed the investigation?_

“How’s Misora-san’s fiancé?” Light asked urgently. “No-one at the NPA would tell me anything when I called and you weren’t picking up your phone, so I don’t know-”

“He’s fine,” Sōichirō cut in, looking at Light in disbelief. “You were concerned about him?”

“Of course I am!” Light gesticulated emphatically with his injured arm then winced visibly. “I mean,” he slowed, hair dropping before his eyes as he dipped his head in a show of embarrassment. “I consider Misora-san a friend, and besides that, who wouldn’t want to know the fate of the man they were shot trying to save?”

 _It was a nice little speech, all things considered_. L hummed quietly; thumb slipping further into his mouth.

“What happened after- I lost consciousness,” Light hesitates only infinitesimally over the mention of his weakness.

Sōichirō crossed his arms. He went with the story they had all agreed to earlier. “The Yakuza that abducted Penber attacked the NPA, as you know from the news reports. You also heard they died of heart attacks after leaving the building.” Light nodded, attentive. “What you wouldn’t have heard is that one Yakuza survived the attack. We’re not sure why Kira didn’t kill him.”

Light frowned thoughtfully and leaned back against the fridge. “Maybe Kira couldn’t kill him?”

“Maybe,” Sōichirō hedged. “He’s been attested for the assault on the NPA, as well as shooting you and Hayao Honda.”

Light straightened like an electric shock had run through him. “Honda? The receptionist? He was shot?”

Sōichirō nodded. “In the chest. The bullet pierced a lung. He nearly died. He’s still in hospital.”

Light collapsed back against the welcome solidarity of the fridge.

 _Is that guilt_? L wondered, leaning forward like he could get a better look at the twisted expression on Light Yagami’s face. 

“Kira has to be stopped,” the young man declared suddenly, voice hard. “He won’t hurt innocent people like that anymore.”

 _Odd turn of phrase_ , L noted.

“Of course, son.” Sōichirō clasped Light’s shoulder, and Sachiko hustled over to give her son a hug. “But there’s nothing you can do right now. You have to focus on your entrance exams. They started in a fortnight.”

Light let out an aborted laugh. He quickly slipped out from his parents grasp, wearing a smile and holding open arms.  _Acting_.

“I know, I ought to use my time convalescing to study some more,” he waved his good arm in the directions of his bedroom. “If you’ll excuse me…”

Sōichirō finally seemed to remember his mission as he hurried to stop Light from shutting himself away in his room. “I was thinking, it would do us good to all spend some time together as a family. Maybe…brunch?” It sounded weak.

“He’s not very good at lying to his family,” Naomi observed quietly.

“No, he’s not,” L agreed.

Light Yagami seemed to agree as well, because he looked at his father in puzzlement for an instance - then the expression cleared like clouds passing across the sun. He was the happy son once more. “Brunch sounds wonderful.” Light directed his disarming charms at his mother. “Did you have something to do with this, mum? I don’t believe dad came up with it on his own.”

L wondered if this was yet another jab at him by Kira (or if he was just getting to be as paranoid as Whammy always said he’d become).

“No, dear,” Sachiko giggled. “This was all your father’s idea. He thought it would be nice to spend the day as a family, since he mightn’t have a lot of time off once he goes back to the case.”

Light nodded, like the explanation made complete sense.

The Yagami’s left shortly after to attend brunch. L supervised the installation of surveillance equipment and the careful ransacking of Light’s bookcase, his own brunch - strawberry shortcake - in hand.

\- - -

When his father suggested the family all go out for brunch (of all things), Light couldn’t help but wonder what the hell L was playing at. He’d already installed surveillance so what could he want Light out of the house for so badly…?

 _The note paper,_  Light realised suddenly.  _L couldn’t see what I was writing so he wants to check it out._

Suddenly feeling a lot cheerier, Light happily went along with his family’s bruncheon plans.

\- - -

“It’s what?” L asked sharply, after Watari finished reading him what Light had spent so long writing.

“I believe the term is ‘fanfiction’,” Watari reported, amused. He was on the scene at the Yagami house to supervise the agents L had sent to install the surveillance equipment. “He wrote at the top that ‘all credit for characters goes to Nakamura-sensei’.”

L fisted his jeans tightly. “Are you certain there's nothing else in the architectural encyclopaedia?”

The sound of rustling papers came over the line. “This encyclopaedia contains four volumes of Junjou Romantica, as well as twelve loose sheets of paper with fanfiction written on them. Light Yagami has very neat handwriting,” Watari observed.

L grumbled something about how Watari never said he had neat handwriting.

“That’s because you don’t,” Watari told L brightly. “Shall I check the other encyclopaedias?”

“…Good idea,” L admitted, definitely not sulking. It seemed everyone was on Light Yagami’s side.

Watari pulled out the other volumes of the encyclopaedias. He calmly reported their contents, which were contradictory in nature. One volume held a collection of rather bland heterosexual pornography. Another held a bundle of plain notepaper. Yet another held more volumes of yaoi manga, this time Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi. Nothing screamed ‘Kira’, however.

L, not definitely doing anything other than sulking, picked at his strawberry shortcake glumly. “Thank you, Watari. Have the others finished installing the cameras and bugs?”

Watari checked in with the agents. “Yes, L.”

“Good,” L said. “Please put the encyclopaedias back the way you found them, conduct a final sweep of Light Yagami’s room, then return to headquarters.”

Watari gave an affirmative and went about his business.

Naomi sat next to L, frowning as she watched Watari shuffle through Light’s possessions on the new cameras as they each came online. “You really think Light-san is Kira,” she said to L, more a statement than a question.

L looked sideways at his comrade. “Yes and no. He makes sense as Kira, yet his actions are illogical in the light of his being Kira.”

“What about Hana Kitamura?” Naomi pressed. “Raye was only taken after he started investigating her.”

“That’s why we will conduct an equal level of surveillance on the Kitamura house,” L said, toes gripping the edge of his computer chair. Watari was going through Light’s desk drawers now. “And we will continue to investigate the NPA. It’s possible that someone in the NPA caught wind of the FBI investigation through Izaka, and staged the Yakuza attack to discover why the FBI were here in Japan.”

“It’s more likely than Light Yagami being Kira,” Naomi agreed. She tucked some loose hair behind her ear as she leaned forward to peer at Light’s room more closely. “Why is Watari wearing gloves? It’s not like Light-san will be dusting for prints.”

L shrugged. “If Light Yagami is Kira, he might use Watari’s prints to find his identity and kill him. I’d rather not take the risk.”

“You’re the boss,” Naomi acquiesced. “How do you know Light-san isn’t doing something as Kira right now, while he’s out with his family?”

“I trust Yagami-san to watch his son for an hour,” L said. “You told me I needed to trust these men.”

Naomi nodded. “Yeah, I did. But that trust should extend to Light-san too.”

“Only if he shows me he isn’t Kira.”

Naomi rolled her eyes fondly.

\- - -

Brunch wasn’t as bad as Light feared it would be. They went to his favourite cafe, so he could get his favourite coffee. He appreciated the tasty caffeine boost, especially because it was surprisingly tiring to go out with a bullet wound healing in your shoulder.

His sister ate enough sweets to give L a run for his money. His parents had sensible meals, having actually missed breakfast in favour of brunch.

Ryuk watched Sayu eat her apple crumble with the saddest puppy dog eyes Light had ever seen on a Shinigami. The god’s body had contorted over the duration of Saturday in his apple withdrawals until he more closely resembled a pretzel than anything else.

Light hoped he could break away from his family for long enough to feed Ryuk, because he was going to go insane if he had to listen to one more day of whining about apples.

His salvation came in the unexpected form of his  ~~former lover~~  friend as he walked in the front door of the cafe.

“Yamamoto-kun!” Sayu chirped, face dusted in sugar. “What are you doing here?”

Sōichirō’s mood went from happily talking to his wife to thunderstorm in point zero-one seconds.

Light attempted to will a black hole into existence to swallow him up, as Yamamoto approached their table.

“Good morning, Mr and Mrs Yagami, Sayu-chan.” Sayu stuck her tongue out at Yamamoto’s honorific for her. “Light.”

Light nodded a hello, feeling the coffee broil in his stomach.  _What does he think he’s doing here…?!_

“Yamamoto.” Sōichirō’s scowl could fell an army. “I thought I made it clear that you weren’t to see my son alone.”

“He’s not alone, dear,” Sachiko tutted, patting her husband’s arm lightly. “He’s with his family.”

Sōichirō glared daggers at Yamamoto as the teen boldly took a seat next to Light. “Hey, Light,” he said, more softly this time.

Light swallowed against the lump in his throat. “Hi.”

The pair stared at each other for a long, unbroken moment. Sōichirō cleared his throat loudly.

“I got a girlfriend,” Yamamoto blurted suddenly.

“What?” Light was stunned.

“I met her a few days after, um,” Yamamoto glanced at Sōichirō, “after I went to Spaceland that one day.”

“Oh,” Light said.

“She’s really nice,” Yamamoto insisted. “And smart. You’d like her.”

“Right,” Light said. A silence dragged out uncomfortably.

“Congratulations,” Sayu broke in belatedly.

“Thanks,” Yamamoto said.

“It’s good news,” Sachiko commented. “Right, dear?” She nudged her husband. The vein in his forehead twitched but he nodded.

“She’s very lucky,” Light offered after a long moment, mustering his best smile. “Who is she?” Light took a sip of his coffee to stifle his nerves.

“Misa Amane.”

Light choked on his coffee.

\- - -

End Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gasp* Light's in a spot of bother, no?
> 
> As always, please leave a kudos if you liked this story and haven't already done so :) Feel free to leave a comment if you really loved it or are feeling generous with words~ Remember, give comments, give life ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading~

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for making it through my story! Please leave a kudos or review if you liked it (or bookmark the story, since it's apparently like gold on AO3), and let me know if I made any dumb mistakes. Ta muchly~


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